Nikita Heuvelman from Zuidwolde has returned to the Netherlands. She was operated on in the United States on her unstable cervical vertebrae, the consequences of which she has noticed for years.
Because of those cervical vertebrae, she spent whole days in bed in a dark room in recent years. She could not tolerate light or touch. Enough money was raised through crowdfunding to allow her to operate in the United States. The operation is not reimbursed by insurance in the Netherlands. There is not enough knowledge around the condition here.
In the night from Friday to Saturday, 20-year-old Nikita arrived at Schiphol. She then immediately traveled to Antwerp. “It was an exciting and tough journey,” writes the foundation ‘Nikita wants to live again’. In Belgium, her medical treatment continues.
At the end of February, the foundation announced that Nikita was having a hard time mentally after the many operations she had to undergo. She still experienced a lot of pain every day and was bothered by the pressure in her head. The foundation now says that the situation has not changed much. The pressure in her head is currently causing the most complaints. She can go for this in Belgium.
Nikita was born with a connective tissue defect and a stuck spinal cord in the lower part of her back. In the United States, it was also found that a vein in her pelvis is also trapped.