Mariëlle (51) van der Aa prefers to walk all day in her self -designed Bedie: a vest with a huge hood. She can end for light and sound. It is a solution for someone who has not been able to withstand stimuli since her brain haemorrhage. People with autism, burnout, with high sensitivity and people with Long Covid are also interested, “she says in her living room in Son and Breugel. For two years she worked on the Boodie that was launched on Sunday.
Mariëlle stood in the middle of life ten years ago, with a partner, a daughter of eleven and a seven -year -old son. “My nickname was fast Jelle, so that’s how many people know me. I got that nickname in the student house and also from my girlfriends because I am always full of ideas. I am creative. Carnival was in the pub for five days. I went to festivals and the theater. I have a passion for the stage. I was on the road a lot. “
Her life took a drastic turn at the age of 41. “I got a cerebral infarction out of nowhere. I fell on the floor in one go. ” Her life is now completely different. “Now it’s more slow Jelle because I am very difficult. Since my cerebral infarction we live just like in coronation time. You take it easy and you go out less. After four hours my energy is gone. Carnival consisted of one evening this year. “
The Boodie protects her against overstimulation. “Special laps have been sewn here at the hat to dampen the sound. And when I set up a hat, you dampen the light. Suppose you are gardening in the sun, then you can dampen the light through the hood. “She does want to warn of excessive expectations.” It is not a magic. Everyone who is over -stimulated feels that very different. It dampens at the ears, but it doesn’t close it. If it doesn’t work enough, put in earbuds. ”
Marielle is happy with it, because she is now quickly over -stimulated. “Everything you get is less likely to process. That makes you tired. I am also half -sided paralyzed. I also get tired by walking, because I have to think about every step I take. “
The zipper is made diagonally, so that Marielle can close it with one hand. That must be due to the paralysis. “The hands can be done in the pouch. You put it on your stomach and that gives a good feeling. ”
“They wanted to come, but they really suffered from stimulation.”
She got the idea for the Boodie from her husband Koen. In the evening he often sits with a hoodie in front of the TV, with the hood over his head. “Then I put it on and then I close myself for a while and then I will relax,” says Koen Crommentuijn from the couch.
Mariëlle is chairman of Theaterclub NAH-JA! For people with non-congenital brain injury. Part of the audience doubted whether she wanted to come and see a play. “We received a lot of questions from the visitors. They wanted to come, but they really suffered from stimulation due to light and sound. I suggested Mariëlle to do something with the hoodie.”
The Bed costs 149 euros. The proceeds go to Marielle’s theater club. “Every time we have to show money through subsidies and I hate that,” she explains.
The name was offered and that turned out to be very appropriate. “We already had the name, but it turned out to be the Kangaroo Rat in Australia,” says Koen. “It lives underground. That pouch fits exactly.” From now on the couple is sitting together with a hoodie and a message in front of the television. And they think that’s fine. “I think it’s possible,” says Koen. “We can just chat with each other.”
