Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking. PHOTO/David Parry/PA/Guardian
Michio Kaku on Stephen Hawking
But on the other hand, I could see obvious signs that his illness has progressed. Years ago, when his symptoms became progressively worse, he would mumble his words, and graduate students would tediously try to translate them. Later, when he lost his voice, he used his finger to control an electronic synthesizer to communicate with the rest of the world. Now, he has lost control of even his fingers. Now, he uses blinking and facial movements to communicate, which requires an extraordinary feat of patience. It was sad seeing this great physicist being pushed around by his nurse, who also had to constantly hold his head so that it did not slump.
It is truly a testament to the human spirit to see someone like him constantly moving forward, in spite of an illness which would have defeated most mortals!
(Thanks to Saleem Amersi)