In 2008, historian Tony Judt was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a progressive motor-neuron disease that causes the central nervous system to degenerate. Over time, patients lose the ability to move their bodies, but retain full control over their minds. Judt describes the effects of the disease as “progressive imprisonment without parole.”

By 2009, Judt had reached a stage where he was paralyzed from the neck down and using a respirator — which he calls “facial Tupperware” — to help him breathe. He also started writing a series of essays for The New York Review of Books about his illness.

You can rest the rest of this article here.