1/4 Karin and her daughter walked the Sunrise Walk together (photo; private collection)
Karin van Grimbergen (43) from Helmond walked the ALS Sunrise Walk through the center of Utrecht on Saturday night with her daughter, mother, aunt and nephew. Her father (71) lives in Best and was diagnosed with ALS a few months ago. As Karin approached the finish line, hundreds of thoughts raced through her head. When she saw him, both of them were discharged. “It’s so sad to watch your loved one lose a piece of herself every day.”
“We will cherish this unforgettable memory and we have also raised money for more research into this debilitating deadly disease.” If only to keep the memory alive, she will join us again next year.
“It was nice to do this with other people who know how miserable this disease is.”
Two thousand people walked through the Utrecht city center in luminous vests and lights. There is no cure for ALS yet. After a diagnosis, most ALS patients have a life expectancy of up to five years. Each participant also collects sponsor money for ALS research: a total of more than 700,000 euros was collected.
At one o’clock in the morning Karin’s alarm went off so that she could start the hike at four o’clock with her daughter, mother, aunt and nephew. “We walked 15 kilometers. It was nice to do this together with family and all those other people who know how miserable this disease is.”
“The doctors didn’t know what was wrong until my mom recognized the symptoms from her home care history.”
Karin’s father had been ailing for over two years with his health. “I’ve always had very vital parents who always went out. It started with my father tripping regularly. But that can happen to anyone, you think. Walking got worse and we ended up in a medical mill without results.”
At the end of last year, thanks to Karin’s mother, it became clear what was wrong with her father. “My mother has always worked in home care and recognized my father’s complaints because she sometimes helped clients with ALS. Then it suddenly went fast and the diagnosis was there.”
“My father actually didn’t want to come along, but we got him in Utrecht with loving coercion.”
Karin finds the unpredictable nature of the disease and the speed with which the disease is becoming increasingly visible the hardest. “Last year my father walked 10 kilometers, now a maximum of 300 meters. He gets tired quickly. He gets cold quickly. He also cannot sit in a normal chair for long because it makes it more difficult for him to breathe. Especially now in the winter it is hard because going outside is very unattractive because of the temperature.”
It was emotional that Karin’s father was at the finish line. “His future is so uncertain. What will be left of him next year and will he still be there? It is also nice to do something together against a disease in which you are otherwise powerless. My father actually did not want to go. We really had to push him to be there. Tears also rolled down his cheeks afterwards.”