1/2 Joep (4) from Vught has a heart defect and wants to help other children
More than 25,000 children in our country have a heart defect. One of them is four-year-old Joep from Vught. To raise money for research and thus help other children, he is participating in the new campaign of the Hartekind Foundation. “The GP heard a noise and sent us to the hospital.”
Joep hangs upside down on the couch, between mother Babs and father Jeroen. “Hi,” he greets cheerfully. Joep looks like a perfectly normal healthy boy. But when his parents show photos of the time he was in the hospital, it is difficult to recognize him.
“We went to the doctor with a child who had a cold and came back with a heart defect.”
Joep was only two months old when it turned out that he had a heart defect. Father Jeroen looks back on that intense period. “Joep had a cold and we thought that was strange. That’s why we took him to the doctor. He heard a murmur in his heart and sent us to the hospital.”
Mother Babs took Joep to the cardiologist. After the investigation he came straight to the point. “He immediately said that they had found something. Then you were shocked. We went to the doctor with a child with a cold and came back with a heart defect,” she says.
The fear was great. Because a heart defect is the main cause of death for children up to the age of 15. When Joep had just turned one year old, he had open heart surgery that lasted no less than four hours. Jeroen and Babs show photos just after the operation. “He was on all kinds of tubes and on a ventilator,” says Jeroen. “I was scared when I saw him lying like that. He was so defenseless. But fortunately the operation went well.”
“Each charm on the ring represents an action that Joep underwent in the hospital.”
Meanwhile, Joep is sitting at the table playing with his stuffed monkey and a large ring full of charms. “That’s a Tikkiering,” Jeroen explains. “Each charm on that ring represents an action that Joep underwent in the hospital.” When asked which one Joep thinks is the most beautiful, he starts searching. “This one, the chameleon,” he points enthusiastically. His father explains that this figure stands in front of the breathing machine. “Joep had to lie down for a number of days when he had surgery.”
To support other children who experience the same thing, the family is now committed to the Hartekind Foundation. This is a foundation that, among other things, raises money for research. “We have seen what it is like to have a child with a congenital heart defect. You want nothing more than to support and help other parents. That is why we are happy to contribute. Because a lot of research is still needed.”
When Joep is about nine years old, he has to go under the knife again. But they’re not so concerned about that yet. “It’s going well,” his mother says proudly while Joep builds a huge tower. “It doesn’t bother him in everyday life. He’s just a normal boy.”