In 2000, I was headteacher of the International School of Paris when we invited Jane Lapotaire to give her drama masterclass to some of our students and some from Marymount school. While I was introducing her to the students, she collapsed to the floor. We phoned the emergency services, and within minutes the pompiers – firemen also active as medical first responders – arrived, along with a doctor. Jane was rushed to a major hospital and then transferred to the top neurological institute.
After her recovery, my wife and I had afternoon tea with Jane in Stratford, and we reflected on two aspects of her good fortune. First, that the stroke happened in Paris, where the pompiers are so skilled and efficient, and second not 12 hours earlier, when she was on the train in the Channel Tunnel. The courage and fortitude she displayed helped her to continue to shine in her profession.
