Jean-Dominique Bauby

  b. 1952; d. 1997 | French editor/author

At The Bottom

— 1996

He collapsed and slipped into a deep coma...

Until a massive stroke destroyed his brain stem in late 1995, French journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby was known as a brilliant, witty writer and great lover of life.  Since 1991, he had served as editor-in-chief of the magazine Elle, the largest fashion magazine in the world; he was only 44 and yet was one of the most important voices in French culture.  On December 8, 1995, Bauby finished a day of work at his office and hopped in his car to meet his son for dinner.  On the way, he was overcome with exhaustion and began seeing double.  He felt as though he’d been drugged.  After pulling his car over at an intersection, he collapsed and slipped into a deep coma.  When he regained full consciousness in late January, he was in a naval hospital at Breck-sur-Mer on the coast of the French Channel.  Immediately, he realized that he was immobilized.  The stroke had left him with a terrifying condition known as “locked-in syndrome,” which meant that while he could not move and could not breathe without a respirator, he was fully conscious of his condition.  He could hear, smell and feel; the only muscle in his body that he could control was his left eye.  Bauby felt as though he were trapped in “a giant invisible diving bell [that] holds my body hostage.”