Marie Formáčková is a writer who loves spas
Journalist and writer Marie Formáčková, who ran the women's magazine Vlasta in the 90s, came to Janské Lázně for discussions for patients and clients. She also knew Helena Růžičková very well, about whom she wrote many books. We asked Ms. Formáčková for an interview:
What comes to mind when you come to our mountains?
Whenever I go to the mountains, I look forward to it. I live in the center of Prague, there isn't even a tree on our street, it's a nice change and a joy.
You meet visitors here, perhaps on vacation, but also patients on crutches and in wheelchairs who are being treated here. What comes to mind when you perceive the fate of people with disabilities?
There are many people with health disabilities and I meet them all the time in my daily life. None of us knows what will happen to us, and I think it is right that we think about these people and that their lives are constantly being made easier, not only in spas.
What helped your friend Helena Růžičková the most in her brave fight against a serious illness?
It was definitely her nature, she was never afraid of anything, she was brave and not even afraid of her illness. She was always in a good mood, and although she was seriously ill herself, she helped others. Then in 2002, our country was hit by devastating floods and she organized dozens of charity events to help the affected, where she invited sponsors, people capable of helping. And she also entertained people at them.
You are the author of textbooks for disabled students. What are these textbooks like? What was the motive?
These textbooks are mainly written by my daughter Lucie, I wrote a few when it came to a topic with which I have some experience. The impetus was my old friend MUDr. Leoš Středa, who founded the Euroinstitute for the Education of the Handicapped, and it is for his students that these textbooks are intended.
You have written dozens of books, many of them about famous personalities – actors and presidents. What influences your decision: should I write a book about this person?
To tell the truth, most of them are commissioned by a publishing house. Only ten books with Helena Růžičková were motivated by our long-standing friendship and also by Helena's need to write out everything that was on her mind and wanted to share with others. The books with actress Zita Kabátová were also published on my initiative, although originally there was only one book, in the end there were eight. I have several such series, when I write with someone, I get closer to them and since life doesn't fit in one book, we usually continue.
Last year we commemorated the 100th anniversary of Professor Vojta's birth. Isn't that an inspiration for another book?
Although MUDr. Václav Vojta himself wrote more than a hundred scientific papers, only one book has actually been published about his method, and none about him himself. You are right that it is an excellent topic for a book and I am surprised that no one has done it yet. I have personal experience with his method myself, when my son was small, had health problems and it was his method that helped him. Although it was in the eighties, during the previous regime, when Dr. Vojta was in exile, he still had his students here who continued his work. And they did it very well. So thank you for the idea, maybe I will be able to repay you someday.
You also study literature about healthy nutrition. Do you eat healthily yourself?
I always write about healthy eating with someone else, whether it's MUDr. Leoš Středa or healthy eating expert Vít Chaloupka. I don't think much about my diet, I eat what I like and I don't deny myself anything. I don't diet because years ago Leoš Středa told me that if you don't burden your body with diets, it will find a suitable form on its own and stay in it. I stick to that.
You are very active, what is the real inspiration for you?
That's polite of you, but I don't feel like I'm very active. I'm just old enough to have done a lot, but the fact is that I won't turn down any offer. It's not for me, I like meeting new people and new things, but that's how most people are.
How do you like to relax yourself?
I love spas and go there regularly, usually with my daughter or friends for weekend wellness stays. I've been to many of them, not only here but also abroad, just last month I was in a thermal spa in Hungary and now again in your place in Janské Lázně. But otherwise I don't do much relaxation, at least not in the active kind.
Do you have any personal memories from Janské Lázně?
I used to be in Janské Lázně to work, I was preparing a report for the magazine I worked for, recently I was here twice for a discussion. It was very pleasant each time. And I have a personal memory of Mrs. Irena Korytářová, who organizes the discussions. She is extremely helpful, pleasant and also original.
