Keith Laumer

(John Keith Laumer)
(1925 - 1993)

Keith Laumer was an extremely successful man, an author who kept fit, always. It was therefore more difficult for him when he suffered a massive stroke in 1971 that paralyzed one side of his body and part of his brain and therefore his mind. He was unable to exercise as before and gained weight, resembling the Red Bull in one of his stories. The photo above hardly resembles Keith before his stroke. He was embarrassed by his weight gain but was able to get along well enough. Keith tried to whip, to control, to overcome the stroke. He spent an enormous amount of time in physical therapy and other exercises in a futile effort to gain full use of his body. He could walk and get around, with a limp but he was never to gain full access of his body. Like a character in one of his stories, his crippled body would not comply, would not work correctly. This drove Keith Laumer to anger and the anger turned easily to uncontrolled rage, apathy, and total disappointment. He was a master of his mind but he could no longer write. He tried, over and again but the paralysis took control of his mind and the rage drove everyone away.