“Being very old like me, it’s not funny. You have to fight every day.”
France Blanc is born in Geneva in 1919. When her father saw her tiny size and pale skin, he said to her mother, ‘Marie, don’t be so happy, this little girl won’t live long.’ To which her mother replied, ‘I’ll make sure she lives!’. France Blanc has a simple but happy childhood. Her mother works as a seamstress, and her father is a taxi driver. She has a close, almost symbiotic relationship with her mother, who affectionately called her ‘little apple’. Her father is strict and makes sure that the rules are followed at home. She also has a sister with whom she does not get along very well, which leaves her with some bitter memories.
Later, as a young woman, France Blanc meets a man while out walking who addresses her: ‘Good afternoon, miss, don’t you recognise me? We were in nursery school together.’ It is her former classmate Louis. This encounter changes her life. The two fall in love and marry in 1945. As a seamstress, France Blanc earns only a modest living at this time. To secure her income, she urges her husband to learn a trade, and he becomes a cabinetmaker. Despite his undeniable talent, his strong character leads him to change jobs regularly, much to his wife’s chagrin. France Blanc has always dreamed of having children. After seven years of marriage, she finally becomes pregnant. For her, it is the best news of her life. Her daughter Françoise fills her with happiness, and a few years later her second daughter, Christine, is born. Her children are her everything.
In 1992, France Blanc lost her husband to cancer. In 2008, her life was turned upside down once again: this time, she had to cope with the death of her daughter Christine. Every day, she thinks of her youngest, who leaves behind a huge void.
In difficult times, France Blanc keeps her smile and her good humor, because she loves to laugh, make jokes and spend time with her loved ones. Humor has always filled her life with lightness, even in the darkest moments. For France Blanc, however, being 100 years old is not a gift, but a daily struggle. As a faithful woman, she sometimes asks God in her prayers not to forget her. She also tells him that her efforts are for him and that, even though she would like to come to him, she is patient.
Even at 105 years of age, France Blanc is still interested in current events. She describes herself as socially and environmentally conscious and worries about the future. Marked by the suffering of the Second World War, she carries a deep sadness within her. She cannot understand how people can even think about waging war after having experienced so many horrors.