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When I began a diet a week before my stroke, I never dreamed of such a dramatic result
“When I began a diet a week before my stroke, I never dreamed of such a dramatic result.” - Jean-Dominique Bauby Jean-Dominique Bauby...
Gail Buckley
7 views

Today it seems to me that my whole life was nothing but a string of those small near misses
“Today it seems to me that my whole life was nothing but a string of those small near misses: a race whose result we know beforehand but...
Gail Buckley
6 views

I shed a few tears as we passed the corner café where I used to drop in for a bite
“I shed a few tears as we passed the corner café where I used to drop in for a bite. I can weep discreetly. People think my eye is...
Gail Buckley
5 views


Paul Bach-y-Rita and Sensory Substitution
Excerpted from the book: The Brain That Changes Itself Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science By Norman Doidge,...
Gail Buckley
447 views

Sylvie and I remain alone and silent, her hand squeezing my inert fingers
“Wind begins to whip up the sand. The tide has gone out so far that swimmers look like tiny dots on the horizon. The children run to...
Gail Buckley
5 views

Today is Father's Day. Until my stroke, we had felt no need to fit this made-up holiday...
“Today is Father's Day. Until my stroke, we had felt no need to fit this made-up holiday into our emotional calendar. But today we spend...
Gail Buckley
7 views

I need to feel strongly, to love and to admire, just as desperately as I need to breathe
“I need to feel strongly, to love and to admire, just as desperately as I need to breathe. A letter from a friend, a Balthus painting on...
Gail Buckley
18 views

Mysterious paradox: time, motionless here, gallops out there...
“Mysterious paradox: time, motionless here, gallops out there. In my contracted world, the hours drag on but the months flash by.” -...
Gail Buckley
8 views

My diving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly...
“My diving bell becomes less oppressive, and my mind takes flight like a butterfly. There is so much to do. You can wander off in space...
Gail Buckley
5 views

But for now, I would be the happiest of men if I could just swallow...
“But for now, I would be the happiest of men if I could just swallow the overflow of saliva that endlessly floods my mouth. Even before...
Gail Buckley
24 views

Under the physical therapist’s gaze, I am a Tour de France long shot
“Under the physical therapist’s gaze, I am a Tour de France long shot on the verge of pulling off a record-setting victory. Success...
Gail Buckley
8 views

“You can handle the wheelchair," said the occupational therapist
“You can handle the wheelchair," said the occupational therapist, with a smile intended to make the remark sound like good news, whereas...
Gail Buckley
5 views

Speech therapy is an art that deserves to be more widely known
“Speech therapy is an art that deserves to be more widely known. You cannot imagine the acrobatics your tongue mechanically performs in...
Gail Buckley
7 views

Once, I was a master at recycling leftovers. Now I cultivate the art of simmering memories
“Once, I was a master at recycling leftovers. Now I cultivate the art of simmering memories.” - Jean-Dominique Bauby Jean-Dominique Bauby...
Gail Buckley
8 views

Does it take the harsh light of disaster to show a person’s true nature?
“Does it take the harsh light of disaster to show a person’s true nature?” - Jean-Dominique Bauby Jean-Dominique Bauby quote from The...
Gail Buckley
7 views

For half an hour, the machine that regulates my feeding tube has been beeping out into the void
“For half an hour, the machine that regulates my feeding tube has been beeping out into the void. I cannot imagine anything so inane or...
Gail Buckley
10 views

Far from such din, when blessed silence returns...
“Far from such din, when blessed silence returns, I can listen to the butterflies that flutter inside my head. To hear them, one must be...
Gail Buckley
7 views

I am fading away. Slowly but surely.
“I am fading away. Slowly but surely. Like the sailor who watches his home shore gradually disappear, I watch my past recede. My old life...
Gail Buckley
6 views

Not only was I exiled, paralyzed, mute, deaf, deprived of all pleasures and reduced to the existence
“Whereupon a strange euphoria came over me. Not only was I exiled, paralyzed, mute, half deaf, deprived of all pleasures, and reduced to...
Gail Buckley
10 views

In the past it was known as a 'massive stroke' and you simply died.
In the past it was known as a 'massive stroke' and you simply died. But improved resuscitation techniques have now prolonged and refined...
Gail Buckley
5 views
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