Roger Ebert Cannot Talk, Eat or Drink But Still Retains His Voice Online and Spirit
(HMG) – Some words to think about and perhaps live by below, written by Roger Ebert in an interview with Esquire. At the age of 67, the renowned movie critic, best known for reviewing movies on TV, creating the trademark “two thumbs up” with late film critic Gene Siskel, gave this interview with pen and paper. Because he now finds himself unable to speak, eat, or drink, because of jaw cancer. In 2002, a malignant thyroid had to be removed, which was just the first of several surgeries that led to a tracheotomy in 2006 and the total loss of his speech. The magazine shows a new photo of Ebert revealing the effects of the drastic reconstructive surgery (top right), that has left his mouth in a permanent smile.
But though he no longer has the ability to speak, he certainly has not lost his voice and the interview is a definite, ‘Two Thumbs Up’. Roger is still a reviewer for the Chicago Sun-Times and has developed his own type of sign language to communicate, when he’s not using Post-it notes or a text-to-speech program on his computer.
His outlook: “What else can go wrong?” and so he makes the best of his given situation. During the interview, he “There is no need to pity me” he tells the Esquire writer, Chris Jones, by writing on a scrap of paper. “Look how happy I am.”
“I believe that if, at the end of it all, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn’t always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out.”
Ebert, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his film criticism, has a forthcoming book titled “Great Movies III” and a collection of recipes called “The Pot and How to Use It” that will also come out this year.
