Key Facts
- ✓ Journalist and writer Isabelle Monnin suffered a stroke in 2023, leaving her with hemiplegia.
- ✓ Monnin describes her post-stroke body as being 'half ruined,' a phrase she uses to describe her daily reality.
- ✓ She was initially revolted by the casual manner in which her diagnosis of hemiplegia was delivered to her.
- ✓ Isabelle Monnin documents her recovery process through a weekly column, sharing her adaptation to a new existence.
A New Reality
The word "Hémiplévie" (hemiplegia) marks the dividing line between Isabelle Monnin's former life and her current existence. In 2023, the journalist and writer suffered a stroke that instantly altered her physical reality.
She now describes inhabiting a body that feels "half ruined". Through a weekly column, Monnin is pulling back the curtain on the intimate process of learning to live again, offering a candid look at the vulnerability and resilience required to navigate such a profound life shift.
The Diagnosis
The medical confirmation arrived with a casualness that stunned Isabelle Monnin. When doctors first identified her condition, they used a term that felt terrifyingly final: hemiplegia.
Monnin recalls the specific moment the diagnosis was shared. It wasn't the medical terminology that shocked her, but the lightness with which it was delivered.
« La première fois qu’on m’a qualifiée d’“hémiplégique” »
The label felt like a heavy stone dropped into the calm waters of her life, creating ripples of shock and immediate revulsion before she could even process the meaning of the words.
"« La première fois qu’on m’a qualifiée d’“hémiplégique” »"
— Isabelle Monnin
Appropriating Loss
Coming to terms with a disabled body is not an instant event; it is a slow, grinding process of negotiation. Monnin describes her recovery not as a return to who she was, but as the apprivoiser (taming) of a new, unfamiliar existence.
Her weekly writings serve as a chronicle of this internal battle. She explores the daily friction between her mind's expectations and her body's new limitations.
- Confronting the permanence of the diagnosis
- Learning to navigate the world with reduced mobility
- Reconciling her identity as a writer with her new physical state
- Finding humor and humanity in the struggle
The Body Transformed
Isabelle Monnin refers to her post-stroke physique bluntly as a « corps à moitié fichu »—a body that is half ruined. This raw description captures the visceral reality of hemiplegia, where one side of the body ceases to function as intended.
Her narrative moves beyond the clinical aspects of rehabilitation to address the psychological toll of such a transformation. It is a story of grief for the able-bodied self that was lost, and the tentative steps toward accepting the self that remains.
A Weekly Witness
By sharing her story week by week, Isabelle Monnin transforms a solitary struggle into a collective experience. Her voice provides a rare, unvarnished look at the aftermath of a stroke.
Her journey is defined by a refusal to look away from the difficulty of her situation, while simultaneously searching for a way to inhabit this new life with agency and dignity.
Key Takeaways
Isabelle Monnin's account serves as a stark reminder of how quickly life can change. Her experience underscores the importance of emotional processing alongside physical recovery.
Ultimately, her story is one of adaptation. It highlights that surviving a major medical event is only the first step; learning to live with the aftermath is the true challenge.
"« corps à moitié fichu »"
— Isabelle Monnin
