Moving Film On Author Aids Neuroscience Unit
Illawarra Mercury
Monday October 13, 2008
ILLAWARRA filmgoers will have the chance to see the Academy Award nominated The Diving Bell And The Butterfly on the big screen when it runs at Anita's Theatre in Thirroul on Friday.
Organised by Francophile Beverley Peet, all proceeds from the $18 tickets will go to the Neuroscience Unit at Wollongong Hospital. The film is based on the book by French Elle magazine editor-in-chief Jean-Dominique Bauby, who was 42 when he suffered a severe stroke and lapsed into a coma in 1995. When Bauby woke from the coma he had locked-in syndrome, which left him fully paralysed with the exception of just one eyelid. "With the dedication of speech therapists and allied health workers, he managed to write a book about this experience," Ms Peet said.Bauby narrated the book using his eyelid as a sort of morse-code and it took about 200,000 blinks for The Diving Bell And The Butterfly to be completed, which was praised by critics for its light prose and heroism. Bauby died 10 days after its publication."Apart from being the second major killer after coronary heart disease, stroke is also a major cause of disability," Ms Peet said. "Most people know someone who is affected in some way, directly or indirectly."This is a very beautiful film because the story is told from the point of view of the sufferer himself. It is a story of great humanity and compassion."Tickets are available from Oskar's Wild cafe or at the theatre.
© 2008 Illawarra Mercury