Paralysed poet writes again with help from pioneering computer

AN artist and writer left severely paralysed by a stroke has learned to write again thanks to London doctors, the Evening Standard can reveal today.

Former cartoonist Piotr Kniecicki can only move his eyes and has limited movement in his left wrist. But the 52-year-old has published three collections of poetry with the help of experts at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-Disability in Putney.

They have pioneered a system which allows him, using the slight movement he has in his wrist, to select individual letters from a special grid, similar to the system used by Jean-Dominique Bauby, whose book The Diving Bell And The Butterfly inspired a major film.

The former editor of French Elle wrote his book despite suffering from "locked-in syndrome" brought on by a massive stroke - the same condition Mr Kniecicki has. Sufferers from the syndrome have perfectly working brains but are trapped in their paralysed bodies.

Mr Bauby used his left eye to dictate his life story to an assistant who read the alphabet out loud until she reached the correct letter. But Mr Kniecicki can work independently on his prose and poetry using his grid.

His transformation is the subject of a short documentary called Three-Minute Wonder: Life After Coma which is part of a series and will be shown tonight on Channel 4.

The series was filmed and directed by former neuroscientist Dr Barry Gibb who described the RHN's system as "astounding".

Dr Gibb, author of the Rough Guide To The Brain, said: "Being conscious is something we take for granted. In these films, each of the main characters became comatose after a serious incident, but all have managed to fight their way back to some form of awareness. [The RHN] system is actually quite simple but what it allows is astounding."

Originally from Poland, Mr Kniecicki was a prominent cartoonist until a severe stroke in April 2001 left him 90per cent paralysed. He first started dictating poetry by blinking and an alphabet chart.

He moved on to specially adapted computers and a team at the RHN then developed the letter-by-letter method using a cursor which Mr Kniecicki uses now.

In an article for the hospital website, Mr Kniecicki said: "I'm writing because I want to prove to myself and others that even in such a miserable physical condition, one can ignite something positive out of one's brain, if it still remains active."

●Three-Minute Wonder: Life After Coma 7.55pm Channel 4