The diving bell and the butterfly.

     Cover jacket
Forty two years old Bauby slipped into a coma following a stroke and recovered to realise that he was in the worst condition today known as locked in syndrome. Completely paralysed from neck beneath, this disease keep the mind working and awake and the rest of the body completely defunct. All that remained of his communication ability was the sign language by his eyes. He was a Parisian of considerable repute being the editor in chief of Ellie magazine. Everything was stripped away from him when woke up except his helpless consciousness. 
This book describes the feelings and thoughts of a person trapped in a useless body and learned to live with blinking as his only way to dictate short essays , from letters to words at a time. The book fill up the reader with deep fear of experiencing the emotions inthe initials notes. Eventually, the reader feel the perseverance and adaptations of the author and experiences the power to slow down life and yet find a way to live it. There are no options sometimes , the only option has to be lived through. It is about the ability to invent a life for oneself in the most apalling of circumstances in the most lonliest of journeys.
The book was first printed in France in 1997. It became a best seller, for reasons I would wish to figure out. Why would many people like to read the tragedy a man cought in such severe a struggle or was it to bow to the remarkable triumph of human spirit. I do not remember where I bought this book from. It is the original print with the original jacket. I forgot to put a note which I usually do. For whatever reason , it stood on my shelf for many years and received attention during the last few days. 


After establishing the association for locked in syndrome in 1996, Bauby died in 1997. By reading these short notes again, I have provided myself a sense of responsibility towards those who come to my care with similar state. If they can live after sometime much disappointment from life and denial from death, an extra measure of compassion is the minimum I could do.

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