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Macular Degeneration Removed Frank's Ability to Paint
an Unforgivable Diagnosis
Early on in the last decade, around 2001, Frank was given the worst possible diagnosis when it came to vision. Because of this, chances were 100% that he would lose it. To those of us around him, it was a devastating pronouncement. To think that Frank's ability to create great art would be taken from him was the lowest blow imaginable.
Yet, Frank never complained. He was never down about it. He just resolved to live day to day, hoping to keep his sight as long as he possibly could.
For a man who lived life to the fullest, this was highly unusual. He became almost stoic about it and at least for me, his daughter-in-law, I was truly impressed. I'm not sure I could have handled the diagnosis as well as he did.
Frank said he was ready to stop painting. Hmm...
We knew that might be true, but on the other hand, painting was something he did his entire life. I didn't buy it and figured he was protecting us and his grand-children. His good nature about it made things easier for us to accept, though he never said that was so. Who knows? Having known him for almost 50 years then, I was truly impressed.
The human eye and how it works.
What Is Macular Degeneration?
Macular Degeneration (MD) isn't unique to artists, of course. In fact, it is the leading cause of vision loss in all adults over 60. MD now affects more than 10 million Americans! Plus, the older you get, the more likely it is that you will develop this disease of the eye. If you're over 75, your chances of having macular degeneration affect your vision is one person in three. Pretty scary.
The worst thing about macular degeneration is that there is no cure. Eventually, those diagnosed with the disease will go blind in one eye or both.
The macula is the central portion of the retina, and the retina is a thin tissue that lines the back side of the eye. The macula transforms light from the images we see before us into nerve impulses that are then carried to the brain via the optic nerve.
The macula records detailed information from the center of our visual field. This function allows us to read, recognize facts, see color and fine details. It also allows us to drive a car.
When the macula degenerates, the center of vision becomes cloudy. Frank often described it as "seeing only the edges" of things, while the actual thing he was looking at was greyed out -- like there was a cloud in front of it. As time went by, he saw less and less, and finally became blind. This is how he lived for about the last 10 years of his life.
There are two types of macular degeneration -- wet and dry. But the dry type is helped with a change in diet. The wet type, where blood vessels leak into the eye, has some treatments. Frank had some where the doctor shot something directly into his eye. I never understood how he could stand that. Just the thought freaks me out.
To make matters worse, right after one such treatment, Frank was involved in an auto accident and it made his eye worse. In fact, he ended up losing the eye completely. And the treatments solved nothing. Frank still went blind.
How macular degeneration appears to the sufferer.
the last painting
Frank passed away at the age of 91. It wasn't the macular D that killed him, as it's not a deadly disease. He died from complications of Parkinson's Disease, which he contracted very late in life -- another condition for which there is no cure. Yet, he left behind a lifetime of artistic expression, which continues to reflect his varied experience and his long life.
The featured image here is one of Frank's last paintings -- an abstract watercolor. He was fooling around out by the pool one day, and came up with this, his last painting. He looked at it chuckled, and said, "You want it?" I eagerly accepted. It's not the art that Frank was used to producing by any means, and we had already been given many of his paintings.
Yet, I knew this one was special. I thought it might be one of his last, if not THE last painting he ever did. I'll never part with it. It's really meant for his granddaughter -- my daughter -- and one day, she'll be more than happy that I could save it for her. The day Frank gave it to me, I immediately framed it and hung it on my bedroom wall. Nothing more than a game to Frank, became a lovely remembrance for us.
