They are already ready for it: Henny van der Heijden (58) and Marjon Vennix (57). The ladies will join Eersel on Sunday during the second edition of the Meras Neurorun. During the event, people with non-congenital brain injury travel 750 meters. For the women, that walk has great significance because they are both affected by a cerebral infarction.
Marjon and Henny are busy training the last laps. On Sunday they participate in the Neurorun, where they will cover 750 meters. At first glance, that may not seem a great distance, but that the ladies can walk this distance is a big win.
Marjon was hit by a cerebral infarction in 2017. Physically there is nothing to see with the 57-year-old from Eersel. Yet it has had a major impact on her life. “I have a lot of stimulus processing and that is why I am in a hard time with crowds.”
Henny also had to deal with the same condition in 2019. “I couldn’t do anything with my left side and was in a wheelchair. That is intense, because you don’t know what to get out of it. In the beginning you think it will be okay, but later you see that that doesn’t happen.”
“I soon felt that I could no longer keep track of the ‘normal’ world.”
The consequences are still noticeable at both today. Henny, for example, has difficulty walking. Marjon was forced to stop her work as a nurse and later as a practice assistant with a doctor. Instead of helping others, she had to be helped herself. “It seems nice that you can no longer work and do what you want, but I have had a lot of trouble with that.”
Giving up did not appear in the ladies’ dictionary. They followed the same rehabilitation and got to know each other there. It clicked directly between the two. That way they even see each other occasionally outside the rehabilitation. They can talk well because they are both in the same boat.
For a long time Marjon had difficulty giving the consequences of her cerebral infarction a place. “I soon felt that I could no longer keep up with the ‘normal’ world. You are actually on the side of society, and that hurts.” A feeling that Henny also recognizes.
Especially for people who, for example, have a cerebral infarction, Parkinson’s disease or MS, the neurorun is held on the market in Eersel. It doesn’t matter if you run, sit, walk with a stick or a walker: participating is the most important thing.
The ladies have prepared for this run for a year. Henny trained three times a week. The sports outfits are now complete. The only thing that is missing for Sunday is the starting number. According to Marjon, all kinds of events are held, but people with disabilities often cannot participate. “I think it is important that there is something for people with disabilities. We participate again.”
“Last year I had tears in my eyes.”
“I am no longer in the wheelchair and that is super nice. You can do things again,” adds Henny.
Last year the ladies also participated in the run, which is 750 meters long and partly passes over cobblestones. Marjon does that running, while Henny walks the distance with her walking stick. The feeling of reaching the finish is indescribable for Henny. “Last time I had tears in my eyes. Then you feel very proud.”
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