Can you tell us a bit about the history of your MS?
It started in 2008 when I got a somewhat numb feeling in my cheeks. I went to the GP for that, but he told me it was probably nothing. So, I returned home thinking it was all okay.
Some time later, that feeling spread to my right leg and then I knew something was wrong. I had an MRI scan done and that’s when the diagnosis of MS came out.
I then tried all kinds of medication, with varying effects, but generally the symptoms were suppressed.
At the moment, I can still do a lot of things, but there’s also a lot of things I can’t do. And I want that to be over. There is a treatment option, but that treatment is currently only available in Mexico. Of course, that means the entire thing will cost me a huge amount of money. And that is what I have now set up this campaign for.
How did you come up with the idea of making the Lentemarathon your charity run?
I got the idea from a fellow patient. They gave me the idea of collecting the funding through a sponsored run, to which I was only too happy to say “yes”. So that’s how it happened. I have now set up a page where people can support me and am training as hard as I can for the Lentemarathon.
What distance do you want to run and how is the preparation going?
I want to run the 10 kilometers and I am already working towards that. This week, I ran 9 kilometers, which was a huge victory for myself and now makes me even more confident that I will succeed. But in my situation, it always remains a bit of a gamble that things will work out on the day. At the moment, I aim to train three times a week, but in practice it more often comes down to once, twice at most, because I can’t manage more.
Where can people go to support you?
Through my GoFundMe page, people can donate towards my goal. If I reach my target amount, I can fund my treatment and put an end to this 14-year-long disease that has had such an impact on myself, my little daughter, my fiancé and the rest of those around me.