Aaron Tracy

Here she is, years later on Fresh Air, speaking to Terry Gross.

As you can hear from that clip, Neil did make the amazing recovery that her husband insisted on.

What may be most miraculous about the entire ordeal is that despite the intense trauma Neil goes through, she somehow doesn't lose the pregnancy.

She was three months along when the stroke happened.

In the first week of August, Neil gives birth to their fifth and final child, a happy, perfectly healthy baby girl, Lucy.

And life continues.

Neil's good buddy, the actress Anne Bancroft, steps into her role in the John Ford film and comes by the house all the time, often with her husband, Mel Brooks.

Not for nothing, but knowing what we do now about Doll's feelings about Jews, there is no amount of money I wouldn't pay to just watch him interact with Mel Brooks.

Lots of Neal's friends come by to see her during this period.

Frank Sinatra shows up with a stack of records.

Judy Garland brings flowers.

Cary Grant and John Ford come for coffee.

Robert Altman drops by to cook dinner for the family.

Dahl's nutty rehab program for his wife has worked.

It's an incredible comeback story, and Neil has offered tons of jobs.

According to Cohen, Mike Nichols offers her one of the most iconic roles in cinema history, the part of Mrs. Robinson opposite Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate.

But Neil doesn't think she's ready for such a heavy lift, and the role goes, again, to her pal Anne Bancroft.

Instead, Neal takes on some commercials for pain relievers, easy gigs which speak to her recovery.

While the commercials pay well, the bills for Neil's medical care are astronomical.

Her insurance with the Screen Actors Guild covers some, but with Dahl's insistence on round-the-clock rehab, expenses are adding up.