The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France, 2007) December 26, 2007

The editor of Elle Magazine in France, Jean-Dominique Bauby was a fixture in the social swirl of Paris. He lived a rich and creative life of family, friends, and work. It all came to a sudden halt at age 43 when he suffered a massive stroke that left him almost completely paralyzed and unable to speak. Doctors call this rare condition "locked-in syndrome." His brain continued to work fine, and he could see and hear, but his only means of communicating with the world was by blinking his left eyelid. Many people might simply retreat from the world. Bauby went on to write 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,' a powerful book about his life and condition.