A short while back, I tried to persuade a magazine to let me write a profile of Roger Ebert, and in retrospect, it's a good thing they turned me down, because Chris Jones of Esquire was already in the process of writing the story I wanted to write. Ebert, you probably know, can't speak, can't eat or drink either, yet he seems more active than ever with his copious blog posts and incessant Twittering in addition to his customary full load of movie reviews and book writing.
And he seems remarkably cheerful for someone who has suffered so much. I wouldn't care all that much if I couldn't speak any more, but I do like to eat food, and drink liquids of various colors and flavors. And I am in full possession of my jawbone, which is a plus. "There is no need to pity me, he writes on a scrap of paper one afternoon after someone parting looks at him a little sadly. Look how happy I am."
It's a remarkable story, about a truly remarkable man, and a great and inspirational American. As Mark Evanier says, Go read it.
It is unclear to me whether the author is the same Chris Jones who is the theater critic for the Chicago Tribune. Do you know?
ReplyDeleteIt is not. I wholeheartedly recommend Roger's followup to the article, wherein he identifies Chris Jones as a guy who teaches journalism at the University of Montana:
ReplyDeletehttp://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/02/roger_eberts_last_words_cont.html