Grandpa Jos Schapendonk from Vught is busy playing billiards for 45 hours and collecting money for the Hartekind foundation. This foundation helps children born with a heart defect to give a better quality of life. Jos himself has experience with such a situation. “When my grandson Sill was born, it turned out that his aorta was narrowed, we really thought he wouldn’t survive.”
Jos can take a ten minute break every hour during his action. “That way I can go to the toilet and freshen up if I need to. Then I can go back to the table and continue playing.” Grandpa Baard, as his grandchildren also call Jos, is well known at the billiards in the Rio Bar in Vught. “I think billiards is a very nice game to play. The fact that I can do something for a good cause with it is only nice.”
“Fortunately they were able to operate it and he came through okay.”
On April 15, 2021, Jos became the grandfather of a grandchild for the second time when Sill was born. Ten days it threatened to go completely wrong. While bathing Sill, he fell away and turned all gray. “He turned out to have a heart defect,” explains Jos. “Fortunately they were able to operate it and he came through well. That’s why I also wanted to do something for the Hartekind foundation, because it is committed to these types of operations.”
Everything is going well with Sill now, but every year 1500 children are born with a heart defect and every two days one child dies from such a defect. “Last year we raised eight thousand euros with a campaign for the Hartekind foundation. Hopefully we will achieve that this year too. If not, then that’s no problem because all the money will go to charity anyway.”
“I sent him a video of Sill as extra motivation.”
During his action, Jos plays a lot of games against acquaintances, friends and family to fill the time. Winning or losing doesn’t matter at all. “The main thing now is that we enjoy this event and that we can raise as much money as possible,” Grandpa Jos explains. “That’s the most important thing.”
Sill’s mother, Natasja, is also present at the action to support her father-in-law. “I think he will complete those 45 hours,” she says confidently. “I sent him another video of Sill as extra motivation so that he could see again who he is doing it for.”
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