When he awoke in a hospital bed in January 1996, Jean-Dominique Bauby felt like a prisoner in a "giant, invisible cocoon." He had suffered a severe stroke (a broken or blocked blood vessel in his brain). The only body part he could move was his left eyelid. But the French magazine editor's mind was still sharp. He began to "talk" by blinking his left eye.
Bauby learned a new alphabet, its letters arranged in order of their use in French. A helper would recite, "e, s, a..." Bauby winked at the letter he wanted her to write. Wink by wink, he built a 137-page book.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was released in France last month--an instant hit. Two days later, Bauby, 44, died. His book, meant for adults, will soon reach U.S. stores. Writing it, said Bauby, freed his mind to "take flight like a butterfly."
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April 4, 1997 Vol.2 No.23
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