Jordy Onkenhout proves that a conquered illness can inspire. The 28-year-old resident of Hoofddorp was diagnosed with cancer three times in his youth, but recovered just as often. He has written down his inspiring life story in the book Men or Muizen. NH was at the presentation yesterday.
“My goal is to help at least one person with this,” he says in front of the camera of NH reporter Thijs-Jan van Aalst. “But I believe there will be many more. I just want to give those people an extra push, to show that it does not have to be death.”
“In fact, every day that I enjoy is included,” says Onkenhout. His book appears about seven years after his last treatment. And a lot has happened in that time, as the recommendation from his publisher shows. “How he went from a wisecracking guy to a mature guy who wanted to help others.”
Comfort rooms
Onkenhout previously made the news when he and his foundation raised money for so-called comfort rooms in the hospital. These are rooms where seriously ill or terminally ill (cancer) patients can be nursed in a familiar living room setting with many comforts and privacy.
“I definitely plan to get the books into the comfort rooms,” he says. “Because I often get messages from people with family members in the rooms. They say they get a lot of reassurance from that environment, and I certainly think the book can help with that too.”
Publisher and writer Ellen den Hollander has written down his story. She admires Jordy for his resilience. “You see that he has gained so much life knowledge during his illness. Of course, this cannot be otherwise if you have to battle your illness again so often.”
“We have to enjoy life, because tomorrow is not promised,” Jordy addresses the 150 attendees in the football canteen of his club SV Hoofddorp. “So we’ll start with that now.”