Istanbul
“At Christmas 2020, Sharida said she wanted something done about her stomach and buttocks. I thought that was unnecessary, but thought: if that makes you happy… She wanted to go to Turkey. More was possible there than in the Netherlands and it was cheaper. I didn’t like that, but she was determined, so I went with her to Istanbul. They worked with her for over six hours. Completely dazed and pale, she returned to the room. She was confused from the anesthesia and in a lot of pain.”
Dramatic care
“However, the concern was dramatic. Her room was old and dirty: the drip barely dripped, I had to empty her urine bag myself… The wound started to look worse: red and green, it didn’t smell fresh either. When I called, the nurses didn’t come or came much later. ‘Don’t worry,’ they said, but I was very worried. I wanted to leave with my child, but where to? Sharida could barely walk.”
mortuary
“A few days later she suddenly got terribly short of breath. She was sweating all over her body and was gray. I kept calling for help…no one came. Her last words were, “Mommy, I love you. Take care of my children.’ Then she sank into my arms. Suddenly there were doctors and decent equipment. Security kicked me out of the room. Three hours later I heard what I had known for a long time: my daughter had passed away. I saw her again in a white bag in the morgue, a horrible image I never get off my retina.”
expensive buy
“I don’t have time to mourn. Taking care of my grandchildren (10, 13 and 15) is now a priority. I have to go on for them. I have lost not only my daughter but also my relationship and friends and relatives. People are heartless on social media. They write that it was her own fault: ‘Cheap is expensive.’”
Founding
“Still, I will continue to tell my story. Medical mistakes are made more often abroad, more attention should be paid to this. According to the doctor, Sharida died of a pulmonary embolism, but I don’t believe that. I want to set up a foundation to help and inform others. And to impress upon people: go to a good clinic in the Netherlands. Your life is too precious to skimp on. Sharida’s was priceless.”
This article appears in the new VROUW Magazine (every Saturday at De Telegraaf). As a premium member you can also read it online (sometimes earlier).