“I had to take medication,” Marjolin says. “MS is a brain disease, and I had inflammation of the optic nerves and my leg. It creates scar tissue in the brain and it will always be a weakness.” She has been on a lot of medication in recent years. She also has had to switch medications every time if things aren’t going well. “That’s why they keep trying something different.”
The faster the better
She finds it difficult to have MS, because she is still young, enthusiastic and a farmer. She still wants to do everything, but she can do less and less. That is why she was very happy when she found out about stem cell therapy. “This stem cell therapy is also possible in the Netherlands, but before you can get it here you first have to take all kinds of medication which is really very bad. Then it is actually too late. The sooner you get this treatment, the better.
heavy chemotherapy
At first Marjolein didn’t dare to do it, because it’s too heavy chemotherapy. “But the current medications I’m taking are also bad. Including my liver, which is working increasingly badly. And I always have to choose new medications that carry an increased risk of a certain type of cancer. If I have to do chemotherapy, it’s better now!”
to mexico
Stem cell therapy, which about 20 people attend each month, can be pursued in Mexico. It’s remote and the treatment and accommodation there are expensive. “The treatment first involves harvesting young stem cells from you. The ones that are still inexperienced. The ones that don’t know anything about MS yet and are healthy. You then undergo intensive chemotherapy that destroys the other stem cells that know you have MS. Then they give you back the inexperienced stem cells, and it’s all down to zero.
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Marjolene working on her parents’ farm. (Photo: Everett Royce)
expertise
Margolin has been in contact with people who have already undergone treatment in Mexico. Their experiences have been positive, Margolin says. The disease has been stopped and some have recovered. Some who were wheelchair-bound have not improved, but their disease has not worsened.
being a nice mom
Such treatment is not just anything, it is very difficult. But that does not matter to Marjolin. “The reason I want to do treatment is because I want to be a good mother to my children. Now I have MS. That is it, I have to deal with it now, but there is only so much I can do. Although I try to stay positive, I have to distribute my energy very well. I still laugh and I still work, but I always take painkillers. Then I sit at home on the couch to recover.
Help via WhatsApp
“When I decided to do the treatment, I registered at the clinic in Mexico. They called me very quickly and asked when I wanted to come, but that was a bit too fast for me. That’s why I scheduled the treatment for November. And only then did I ask myself: how am I going to raise this €75,000? I asked for help. I sent a message on the neighborhood app asking if anyone wanted to make a poster for me.”
everyone went wild
From that moment on, Marjolein didn’t know what was happening to her, it was completely out of control. “Everyone in the village went wild. All sorts of things were done: the village shop helped, the theater association, all sorts of things were done. What happened was so big, I was paralyzed. After the weekend, 30,000 euros had already been raised.
Crowdfunding
Her story touched Elbendamer Alma de B. Rademaker. “When I saw her call on the neighborhood app, where she put herself in such great danger for the entire village by talking about her illness and her planned treatment, I knew for sure that I wanted to help her.” She set up a crowdfunding campaign for Marjolein on Go Fund me. And then things went quickly, and the amount rose to the current level of over 58,000 euros.
gather together
There is still a lot to do, but it “must be done”. And with the work I can still do, I am raising more and more. I am well aware of how grateful I am for the compassion and contribution of the entire village. I would like to express my deepest thanks to everyone in Elpendam! You can still donate, see the link gofund.me/3d76dcd9 “From survival to life.”
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