In an old house on the Weerdingerstraat in Emmen, cancer and ex-cancer patients find a place where they can relax. Sigrid’s Garden offers support, distraction and contact with fellow sufferers.
This is extra special for Sam Muis, a student at Esdal College in Emmen. In 2021, a good friend of hers was diagnosed with lymphoma at a young age. “We didn’t know this place existed at the time. I think it could have helped not only him, but me too,” she says.
When her economics and entrepreneurship teacher came up with the assignment to start crowdfunding for a certain foundation, she quickly knew that the charity had to be Sigrid’s Garden. She made a plan together with two fellow students.
In Sigrid’s Garden it’s all about helping each other. Visitors can participate in activities such as yoga, painting or lectures, but the most important thing is the atmosphere. “If you sit here at the table with fellow sufferers, half a word is enough,” says board member Guy Strijbos. “And yes, there is laughter here, sometimes even more than tears.”
Sam and her classmates Sophie Siebum and Masah Al Barmawi see how valuable the work of Sigrid’s Garden is. “There was a lot of talk about cancer in our family, but that’s not the case everywhere,” says Sam. “This is a really nice place for people who have nowhere to go with their story at home or with friends.”