A Wink and a Nod

I watch many movies. I subscribe to Blockbuster's mail service. I pay about $10 per month. Blockbuster sends me movies that I request in the mail. There is no due date. When I finish a movie, I bring it to my local Blockbuster store. They then give me a free movie rental. In addition, Blockbuster then sends me the next movie on my request list in the mail. I watch about 2-3 movies per week.

Most of the movies I watch are OK. Some are bad. Very few are outstanding. I just finished watching an outstanding movied called The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. The movie tells the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the editor of Elle, the French fashion magazine. At 42 years old, he suffered a stroke and was paralyzed. The only part of his body that he could move was his left eyelid. Given his stature, he received excellent care. However, the care he received from a young speech therapist was amazing. She developed a system of communicating with Bauby. She would list all of the letters of the alphabet in the order of how often the letters are used in general speech. When she would hit the letter Bauby had in mind, he would blink his eyelid. Imagine the patience and dedication both Bauby and the therapist had to make this system work.

Once they got use to the system, Bauby told the therapist that, prior to the stroke, he signed a contract with a publisher to write a book. He told the therapist that, with her help, he planned to honor that contract. When the publisher was contacted, they could not believe Bauby could write a book. Each day for several months, he would wake up early and memorize what he wanted to share. Then he would spend several hours with the therapist who would put Bauby's words on paper.

Bauby completed the book - a philosophical autobiography. The book became a bestseller. Bauby didn't have the opportunity to bask in the accolades. He died 10 days after the book was published.

For a review of the book from The New York Times, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/06/15/reviews/970615.mallon.html