The Blink of an Eye: How I Died and Started Living

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At the age of 38, Rikke Schmidt Kjaergaard, a Danish scientist, wife and mother of three, is struck down by an acute bout of bacterial meningitis. She awakes from a coma in intensive care to find herself completely paralysed, unable to show she is conscious except by blinking her eye. It becomes her only form of communication as in the months that follow, Kjaergaard's husband Peter sits beside her helping to interpret every eye movement. She struggles with every basic of life - painfully learning how to breathe, move, eat and speak again. Despite being given a five per cent chance of survival, she works intensively to recover and achieve every small breakthrough.

THE BLINK OF AN EYE is a celebration of love and family and every little thing that matters when life is in the balance - written by a scientist uniquely able to describe her physical and mental journey to recovery.

Reviews

It's a wonderful meditation on the human condition and a testament to the power of love. It was heartbreaking and life-affirming in equal measure. An extraordinary story and a joy to read. -- Max Pemberton, columnist and author of TRUST ME, I'M A (JUNIOR) DOCTOR
As gripping as a thriller * SUNDAY EXPRESS *

Author Bio

Rikke Schmidt Kj rgaard lives in Copenhagen with her family. She is co-founder of Graphicure, a start-up company developing software solutions that empower patients to better understand their disease and manage treatment, and the Danish Science Club, a mentorship network for students and young adults.