An 87-year-old woman with macular degeneration refuses to give up. In this interview with psychology student Alice Deyneko, she discusses her experience with acupuncture and massage therapy sessions.
Video Transcript: Macular Degeneration and Acupuncture
Franceline (patient with macular degeneration)
Well, first of all, I don’t think I’ll give up right now.
Narrator (voice-over)
This is the story of a woman who refuses to give up even when faced with a serious illness. The rapid decline of her eyesight hasn’t broken her spirit. On the contrary, it has driven her to seek alternative methods of treatment. She continues to fight. Her perseverance yields impressive results. And by her example, she inspires others not to lose hope.
Franceline
The doctors said that it’s macular degeneration, that a fluid is accumulating behind my eyes, which blocks the retina. That’s why I can’t see well.
But since it’s a fluid, everything is relatively clear. I mean, I’m not in the dark, I’m in the light. And I will always be in the light. I will never be in complete darkness, but I still don’t see anything. Michelle saw that I had a problem with my vision. She told me she had a colleague who works in the office next door, and she specializes in eye problems. So I asked to meet her as soon as possible. That’s how I met Alexandra, and she took care of me, and Alexander as well. And it really helped me at the start.
Now, it helps every time. But, of course, I want to be able to see everything clearly right away, but that’s not how it works. But it helps. It helps every time. I’m making small progress. I have some reference points. For example, I couldn’t see the dog before. Now, when it’s close to me, I can see it. I can even see part of my furniture that I couldn’t see before. Outside, I can see white cars on the asphalt. And when it snows, everything is white and I can see black cars, but I can’t see the white ones. But that’s already a lot. I couldn’t see that before.
Alice (psychology student, interviewer)
You used to be startled by strangers because you couldn’t see them from a distance, but with the improvement in your vision, are you less afraid to leave the house
Franceline
Yes, of course. Absolutely. Absolutely. I’m not as scared anymore. I’ve become much more confident. Very, very much. Being able to see people coming toward me.
Yes, there’s no longer that shock as before. When I hear someone walking behind me, I stop and let them pass. It bothers me. I can hear that someone is walking behind me. But when someone walks toward me and I see that someone is approaching, it’s less scary than when a person suddenly appears right in front of you. Yes, it’s reassuring. It’s much safer. It’s much safer.
Because I used to rely on sound, you know? I would hear someone walking, but sometimes depending on the shoes, it’s not always clearly audible. So yes, it helps a lot. It helps me. The park is right next door, and in spring and summer I go there every day to walk my dog. And that helps a lot.
Alice
And the changes in your vision, how did they affect your drawing and painting?
Franceline
Of course, at some point, painting for me, especially since I retired, was my favorite pastime. I used to spend an enormous amount of time on it, preparing exhibitions, doing painting. And suddenly one day, I had to stop painting. It was, you could say, almost tragic.
Alice
All right. So for people who are in the same situation as you, is it better to accept reality and never give up?
Franceline
Never give up.