Erik and Linda van Orden from Eindhoven live in a nightmare. They have four young children and two of them are suffering from a particular form of cancer. “It’s tough. Very tough”, Linda says emotionally. “It’s mentally tough, it’s financially tough, in everything really. It turns your whole life as a family upside down”.
Isa (8) became ill in the summer of 2022. “She was very tired, didn’t want to eat and lost a lot of weight. We went to the family doctor and blood tests were done, but they couldn’t find anything”, Linda says. “We were referred to a pediatrician and after an MRI scan it became clear that Isa had a tumor in her head, behind her right eye and right jaw, near her brain stem”.
As it turns out, the eight-year-old girl has a special type of cancer: rhabdomyosarcoma. She is receiving several chemotherapies and radiation treatments. “In the beginning the treatments went well and the tumor got smaller, but so now it is growing again”, Isa says.
Chances are Isa will not be cured of this. “It’s inoperable. She’s already had the full radiation, so there’s no way to do that again. And if the tumor is still growing even after chemo, well, then…” Isa’s condition was already causing people to think about her future. “The question of when they are going to stop treating, constantly haunts your head. We already talked about death”, Linda says.
Pure bad luck
And then Milano also fell ill. He ended up in intensive care. A few weeks ago, it became clear that he has another special form of cancer, Burkitt leukemia. Neither form of cancer is hereditary. “It’s pure bad luck. When he got sick, we didn’t immediately think cancer either. When it turned out to be so, my world collapsed. Cancer again”. Milano is now in the Prinses Máxima Centrum (Princess Máxima centre) in Utrecht, which specialises in pediatric oncology. An intensive treatment program has begun there.
“Erik and I take turns in the hospital and we have two more children who also need care”, Erik says. In addition to Isa and Milano, there are brothers Levi (9) and Daley (2). “We fortunately get a lot of help from family and acquaintances, very sweet, but it is still incredibly hard”. Also when it comes to money. “There are so many things you have to pay for yourself that are not reimbursed”.
Help
That’s the reason Annabel Bonten started a crowdfunding campaign. Her daughter has been Isa’s best friend since grade 1, and Annabel also became friends with Linda and Erik as a result. “When Linda got pregnant one more time unexpectedly, Isa was also with us a lot and child at home”, Annabel says. “When Isa got sick, our world collapsed as well. Not as intense of course as for Linda and Erik, but it is still very emotional. It’s also a lot to explain to your daughter that her best friend might die”.
When news of Milano’s death came over it, 38-year-old Annabel felt it was time to do something. “You feel so powerless and they get so much on their plate. This is the only thing I can do. They also have to pay so much themselves. Paracetamol alone costs €150 a month. But there is much more that is not reimbursed: accommodation costs, parking costs, eating in the hospital”.
That’s why she and Ellis, another mother, started a campaign. “So that they have a pot, for example for tools in the house to take care of the sick children at home. But also for things the children still want to do, including the other two”. Annabel is aiming for a final goal of €25,000, but hopes to go “well over” it.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
It’s horrible! How comes the guys need this?! Where does half of my salary go???