Frenchwoman Officially Considered Dead Fights to be 'Alive' Again
2021-09-03
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1Declared dead by a French court in 2017, Jeanne Pouchain has spent the past four years trying to prove she is alive.
2French officials, however, disagree.
3"My name was Jeanne. It still is Jeanne, after I've been declared dead in 2017," said the 59-year old.
4She cries at times when explaining her story and what she plans for when she will officially be "alive" again.
5It all started, Pouchain said, when the family received a letter four years ago from a court saying mistakenly that she was dead.
6The letter also said she owed money that her husband had to pay.
7The letter was part of a legal process launched by a former employee of Pouchain's cleaning business.
8It has not been easy or quick to fix the mistake.
9Pouchain is unable to work and afraid to leave her house because she does not have an identification card or social security number. She lives as a recluse.
10Some of the family's belongings were taken by the courts and all their saved money has gone to trying to get things back to normal.
11"My life, well, it's nothing. I feel I'm of no use. I'm nothing and I'm of no use. And this is hard," Pouchain said.
12She spoke to Reuters in the house she shares with her husband Pierre-Jean in a small village near Lyon, in south-east France.
13Now, the courts are looking at her case again.
14Pouchain and her husband have begun to have some hope.
15But it will still take months.
16The courts must overturn their decision, and a judge must recognize officially that she is not dead and never was.
17She has great dreams for that day.
18"I know exactly what I will do...I will get a health check, because I know some things are wrong with my body," she said.
19She said that she could not see a doctor because she does not have a social security number.
20She has several health problems, including having lost most of her teeth.
21"I would so love to be able to bite into an apple...I would love to have teeth. I would be so happy, even if they were to give me two dentures, I would be happy to have teeth."
22Her other dream is simply to be able to enjoy life again, at home, with her husband, Pierre-Jean.
23He is sure things will be put right.
24"Hope is what makes us carry on," he said. "Eventually, the outcome will necessarily be in our favor."
25I'm Anna Matteo.
1Declared dead by a French court in 2017, Jeanne Pouchain has spent the past four years trying to prove she is alive. French officials, however, disagree. 2"My name was Jeanne. It still is Jeanne, after I've been declared dead in 2017," said the 59-year old. 3She cries at times when explaining her story and what she plans for when she will officially be "alive" again. 4It all started, Pouchain said, when the family received a letter four years ago from a court saying mistakenly that she was dead. The letter also said she owed money that her husband had to pay. 5The letter was part of a legal process launched by a former employee of Pouchain's cleaning business. 6It has not been easy or quick to fix the mistake. 7Pouchain is unable to work and afraid to leave her house because she does not have an identification card or social security number. She lives as a recluse. 8Some of the family's belongings were taken by the courts and all their saved money has gone to trying to get things back to normal. 9"My life, well, it's nothing. I feel I'm of no use. I'm nothing and I'm of no use. And this is hard," Pouchain said. 10She spoke to Reuters in the house she shares with her husband Pierre-Jean in a small village near Lyon, in south-east France. 11Now, the courts are looking at her case again. Pouchain and her husband have begun to have some hope. But it will still take months. The courts must overturn their decision, and a judge must recognize officially that she is not dead and never was. 12She has great dreams for that day. 13"I know exactly what I will do...I will get a health check, because I know some things are wrong with my body," she said. 14She said that she could not see a doctor because she does not have a social security number. She has several health problems, including having lost most of her teeth. 15"I would so love to be able to bite into an apple...I would love to have teeth. I would be so happy, even if they were to give me two dentures, I would be happy to have teeth." 16Her other dream is simply to be able to enjoy life again, at home, with her husband, Pierre-Jean. He is sure things will be put right. 17"Hope is what makes us carry on," he said. "Eventually, the outcome will necessarily be in our favor." 18I'm Anna Matteo. 19Reuters reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 20____________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22recluse - n. a person who lives alone and avoids other people 23dentures - n. (pl.) a set of manufactured teeth to replace lost natural ones 24eventually -adv. at some later time 25We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and visit our Facebook page.