Wim and Marga van den Berge from Breda go to the pilgrimage site of Santiago de Compostella in Spain on a special wheelchair bicycle. Waved goodbye by friends, family and acquaintances, they started their journey of more than 3000 kilometers in Valkenberg park on Thursday. Three years ago, the always sporty Marga suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and became partially paralyzed. Together, Marga and Wim now want to show that you can still exercise with a disability and push your limits.
Marga is paralyzed on her right side. She can walk short distances around the house with a crutch, but is otherwise wheelchair bound. “From one moment to the next I couldn’t do anything at all,” says Marga about her cerebral hemorrhage. “Don’t move, don’t talk, don’t swallow. I couldn’t even raise an eyebrow. I spent three weeks in the hospital and four months in a rehabilitation center. I had to learn everything all over again.”
It is a big difference with the Marga before July 10, 2020. She ran with a running group and cycled a lot. The holidays of Marga and Wim with their young children were active and adventurous.
Wim: “We have always traveled on spec and found a solution for everything. Once we arrived in Nairobi in the middle of the night with two children aged three and five. We hadn’t arranged anything. We didn’t get a bite until the third hotel, although we were both in a single bed with one child. We are still that flexible years later, despite Marga’s handicap.”
“With this journey we want to push our own boundaries and inspire others.”
Because Marga and Wim’s motivation is mainly to show ‘what is possible’ and they want to pass that on to other people with a disability. “With this journey we want to push our own boundaries and hopefully inspire others as well.”
Bystanders look at the couple in admiration and their wheelchair bicycle attracts a lot of attention. “I think it’s very special. I’m not imitating them. And a special goal, after all the setbacks they’ve had. Having such a special goal with so much zest for life, I find that very special,” says a woman.
During this trip, Marga and Wim donations op for Uniek Sporten, a program of Fonds Gehandicaptensport. The experiences of Marga and Wim can be followed via Instagram.