Lisbeth: “It happened on April 12, 2008, during a competition to conclude the slip hunting season. I slipped off my horse and felt myself tore my knee ligaments. Because I then got a thrombosis, I had to take blood thinners. There were just way too many, which caused a hemorrhage and six weeks later I was taken to the hospital with sirens screaming.
“The doctor wrote down that he thought there was a bleeding in my neck, gave me more blood thinners and two days later I woke up completely paralyzed. A medical miss… I only wanted one thing at the time: death. But after surgery and physical therapy, I was able to move one toe again after eight weeks. Then I knew there was hope. Yes, I am very optimistic by nature.
“After six months in a rehabilitation center I was able to walk with a walker. I hated it there, I missed my house, my animals and my children, but I also knew that I had to invest in myself.
“Fortunately, I was in top condition, having ridden a horse for so long. When visitors came, we went to a cafe, so that I still had a bit of a normal life.
“In the end I was able to run free in the house, until I broke a hip in 2012. Now I can take small steps at home, but I always have to seek support. Outside I walk with crutches or use a mobility scooter that can be taken in the car.
“The realization that my old life would never come back made me sad, but you shouldn’t dwell on that. I can use that energy better. Among other things, for the legal battle for compensation. That was tough in addition to the rehabilitation. The whole process took seven and a half years, but I won. I wrote a book about it Back in the saddleto inspire others to never give up.
“I sold my farmhouse, that was no longer possible.”
Big driver’s license
“I was a business woman until the fall of the horse. In 1986 I started a headhunt company in Amsterdam with a partner. I was one of the first female headhunters in the Netherlands. My husband was older than me and he took care of our son and daughter. In 1999 I started my own headhunt company in Barneveld, closer to our home in Putten. During that time I also got my driver’s license, so that I could transport our horses to competitions.
“In 2007 my husband died, in 2008 I had an accident and in 2009 my company went bankrupt because I couldn’t be there and the crisis broke out. Man gone, body gone, company gone, in three years. And with it my pension, because one day I wanted to live off the sale of that company. Now the compensation is my pension. I did go back to work, on a project basis. I now recommend a company in tiny houses and do a few headhunts a year. Because I would like to remain active in business, especially now that everything has become so expensive.”
kicking
“I am also very busy with the Better Walking Foundation. Two years ago I came into contact with the Lokomat, a conveyor belt on which people who cannot walk can still take steps thanks to a kind of harness. There are two such devices in clinics in the Netherlands, but only for their own patients. Together with three friends I set up a crowdfunding campaign and now there is also a Lokomat at my physiotherapist in Nijkerk, accessible to everyone. A private individual has advanced that 4.5 tons and now we have to pay it back. There will be a gala dinner with auction on 14 September, but that is not yet enough to pay off that debt.
“The goal is to get such a device in every province, because it’s really fantastic. A four-year-old girl who is partially paralyzed can now stand up again. I myself now have fewer spasms at night and I can take 2,500 steps a day on the Lokomat, isn’t that a thrill!?
“We really want to make the foundation a success. I talk to lenders and insurers to convince them of the results and receive interested experts. I had to get used to the fact that my working life was over, but in this way I am useful again. I am lucky that I have a large network and can talk well.”
Paddling
“After the court case was closed, I went on a cruise with my children and in 2017 I went to Australia with a friend. It all worked with help. And every summer I go with friends to a beach house in Katwijk for a week. Paddle baths in a wheelchair with thick tires that you can borrow for free from the municipality. Top!”
“I still have a busy social life: a large circle of friends, dinners and of course I remain connected to the hunting club. I don’t regret that I can no longer participate, but turn it around: how nice that I have been a member for forty years and have been Dutch champion hunting horses ‘Members-class’ twice. I have learned to be content with this life. I have parked sadness and anger and I will continue to make the best of it.”
In Rush Hour, couples and singles tell how they combine work and private life. Participate? Mail to [email protected]
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of September 3, 2022