Locked-in woman ‘blinks’ to degree
Dawn Faizey Webster suffered from locked-in syndrome after a stroke in 2003
London: A woman who was unable to walk or talk after suffering a massive stroke has managed to complete a university degree, just by blinking. Reports said Dawn Faizey Webster suffered from locked-in syndrome after a stroke in 2003, two weeks after her son Alexander was born.
A patient with the locked-in syndrome is fully awake, but cannot move or speak due to complete paralysis of nearly all muscles in the body, except for the eyes. Ms Webster discovered that she could still communicate through her eyes and tiny head movements.
Scientists designed a special laptop which Ms Webster, now 42, could use to communicate by blinking. She could move the cursor by nudging buttons on either side of her head.
She worked three hours a day at the laptop. Her fastest writing pace was 50 words per hour. Each three-hour exam paper took her three weeks. She has now completed a degree in ancient history, and written an autobiography as well. She is now hoping to tackle a Masters in History of Art.
( Source : agencies )
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