Anna Gaid turned her disability into a strength

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“I’m losing my eyes but I’m gaining clairvoyance. » Anna Gaid Trévouoriginally from the Monts d’Arrée, in Northern Finistère, and who lives in Brest for 25 years, has long been in the denial of his illness. A retinitis pigmentosa that she had birth but who was only so named when she was 16.

“It was unacceptable for me to accept it,” she breathes, calmly, seated in her little cocoon warmly furnished in the city center, where she has lived for 11 years with her partner, Tanguy, and their two daughters. , Carmen, 13 and a half years old, and Lison, 11 years old. She testifies.

Degenerative eye disease

When she learned that she suffered from this genetic degenerative eye diseaseshe entered a large anger.

I buried the problem until I was 45!

She explains: “The disease, which results in tubular vision (I see in front but not laterally) progresses gradually, gradually reducing my visual field. I have become photophobic, meaning I can no longer see at night. I haven’t driven in the dark for 25 years. »

But she still drove during the day.

Because at that point, I was still in denial. I’ve stopped driving since then.

Today, Anna Gaid Trévou does not only suffer from her retinitis pigmentosa. “Three years ago, I was urgently hospitalized for a acute glaucoma. I wasn’t treated for tension in my eye because I didn’t have any, I had temporary migraines, but that’s all. One evening, I couldn’t hold it anymore. I was going to explode. »

Head to the ophthalmological emergencies in Brest. “On site, there were no competent personnel for an intervention. I waited six hours. I was finally taken care of and had cataract surgery in my right eye. Too late. So I was left with after-effects: I lost a lot of acuity and left a dilated pupil, that is to say fixed, which no longer moves. All light points are now sources of sensitivity. »

She now takes this with humor. “I say I have the syndrome David BowieI find it cute. »

My yellow cane, my best friend

As a precaution, it was decided tooperate on left eye. “Unfortunately, I also kept some after-effectsthe lens having rotated. I no longer saw much with my eye, which used to be the best…”

Since then, she has lived with a veil permanently in front of the eyes. “I had endured the first operation, the second made me angry! » The trigger? “I said to myself, ‘Okay, what do you want? You continue to cry over your fate ? Or are you moving forward?’…”

She opted for the second solution.

I had to go through this glaucoma to accept being visually impaired and come out of my denial. I came out in July 2022.

Understand that she completed her disabled person’s file that she had in her possession for over 20 years and that she took out the yellow canewhich had been in his bag for five years.

“In fact, I had started to come out of this denial thanks to Juliette, a psychologist friend at IPIDV (Initiatives for the inclusion of the visually impaired) in Relecq-Kerhuon. »

Anna Gaid Trévou has carried out a long period of work on herself. “This cliché of the blind person with his cane terrified me. Grace, I say well thanks to glaucomaI took out my yellow visually impaired cane, a signaling cane. I had to learn to use it, to accept its noise, to have sore shoulders,” she laughs. “As I have tubular vision, it helps me scan the sides. Today it is my best friendmy ally. The extension of my eyes. »

She says: “I could no longer live without it. She is part of my identity. It is my cane . In my neighborhood, I am known as the white wolf with my yellow cane, which attracts sympathy. »

The discomfort of my friends

She admits, she had fear of looking of her friends to whom she revealed her disability. “The passers-by didn’t bother me. At first I felt the discomfort of my friendsbut, as I am not devoid of self-deprecation, I managed to laugh about it and make others laugh. »

But Anna Gaid Trévou adds:

Today, I realize that I had to go through this illness, to accept it, to enjoy living. Yes, the illness opened my eyes.

She continues: I am lucky to have a happy companion, who brings color to life. Two adorable little gazelles, who taught me to savor happinesswhich was a dirty word for me before, real friends. The chance to live in Brest. »

At 49, looking back on her past, she realizes that, all her life, she has been “ Anna of a thousand facets . I was falsely happy in my youth, a sad clownbut also a confidante, which allows you tonot to take care of yourselflike the poorly cared for caregiver. »

The words of the psychosociologist, Jacques Salomé ( “I am not always responsible for what happens to me, but I am always responsible for what I do with it”), resonated within her.

Anna Gaid Trévou therefore dried her tearsstopped playing himself as a victim, took charge of his life. indulged inreflexology. Initially for her, then by training in this therapeutic discipline, which she practices today after having been a school assistant and home help.

I very quickly saw that reflexology was what I needed. I already had a very developed kinesthetic sense, I am very tactile, I need to touch things.

“And to practice reflexology, you don’t need your eyes but your hands, the listen . »

“Illness made me happy”

Anna Gaid Trévou assures us: she re-vit.“I get around on foot, I love walking, but also by bus and tram in my city. I often go to Stang-Alar to rest my senses, to give them nature, plants, birds… I take the time. I can no longer run physically, I no longer run after time. Before I was a shaken from the jarit’s over. I am no longer afraid of existence. »

She states:

Illness made me happy.

She adds: “If my visual impairment can stop progressing, I’m OK with it. I give myself the means. If it is going to continue to get worse, it will continue. »

She would also like to write a book. “I always wanted to do it, I never took the plunge. Because we are often in self-censorshipwe put up barriers. There, I blew up a lot of them, so…” That would be fiction“but with a good plot of experience. I love words. »

And Anna Gaid Trévou concludes: “We must sublimate the handicap to make it a strengthan asset. This is what I implemented. » After a long journey, “a counting. I have long been afraid of the judgment of others, of my exterior. I am no longer afraid, I have become completelyactress of my life story. For me and for mine. »

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