Not everyone has seen The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, but those who have were not left indifferent. This cinematographic masterpiece, directed by the award-winning filmmaker Julian Schnabel, depicts the real-life figure of Jean-Dominique Bauby, former ELLE magazine director, who at the age of 43 suffered a severe stroke that left him mute and completely paralyzed, except for his left eye. Incredibly, this led to the development of a system which allowed for communicationwith just the use of his eye, selecting letters on a special keyboard to make communication with others possible. Such innovation, made to overcome the limitations that illness and disabilities seem to impose on a person, is admirable and inspirational.
Unfortunately, Jean-Dominique’s case is not unusual. Neither brain attacks nor brain damage at birth are uncommon. Among the latter, one of the most frequent is cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while the brain is under development, and which affects primarily body movement and muscle coordination.