Monster en het Meisje
Details
- Name: Monster en het Meisje
- Website: http://www.monsterenhetmeisje.com
- Contact
Location
Description
Monster en het Meisje is a non-profit organisation based in Hasselt, Belgium and founded by MonsterMeisje Eefje Paredis.
Eefje was diagnosed with an extreme AVM in the complete left side of her upperbody, at the age of 14. She was able to live a pretty 'normal' life until the age of 23. At that time, her monster grew massively and she went through so many embolisations that she lost count. But no matter how many Onyx-glew was stocked in that (mostly) arterial tumor, the monster kept fighting back. So hard that she didn't have the chance to continue her dreamjob, teaching migrants and elderly people.
Although she studies for so many years and carries a degree in psychologie, anthropology and teaching; she found herself stuck at home on the sofa, caressing her cat untill the point there where more cathair on her clothes a than on the animal herself. The pain she experiences everyday blockes her from doing what she wants. Besides pain her symptoms are tiredness, a constant tension in shoulders and neck, chronical infections on the muscles, extreme tiredness, and a constant immens pressure from the inside out - As her AVM fills her whole upperbody on the left side.
During all the procedures, hospitalstays, medical investigations and the constant reminder that she is "special" Eefje started a blog to keep her friends and family up to date, without constantly repeating herself. The reactions on her story was heartwarming, so she never stopped writing. Not only is she writing a book about how to live with an extreme AVM, chronic pain, accumulating physical restrictions and a limited life-expectancy. She also started her own non-profit organisation called Monster en het Meisje - which literally means 'Monster and the Girl' in Nederlands. The goal of this non-profit organisation is to raise awareness for AVM in the medical world but also in everyday society. With lectures, meetings, articles, the autobiography and so much more to write down here, Eefje is trying to raise understanding amongst people, give information to patiënts, their environment on what's it like living with this rare - and many times invisible - condition and the fact that we refuse to be put in a corner. As we are treasures of life - Just because, we carry a monster around.
Details
- Name: Monster en het Meisje
- Website: http://www.monsterenhetmeisje.com
- Contact
Location
Description
Monster en het Meisje is a non-profit organisation based in Hasselt, Belgium and founded by MonsterMeisje Eefje Paredis.
Eefje was diagnosed with an extreme AVM in the complete left side of her upperbody, at the age of 14. She was able to live a pretty 'normal' life until the age of 23. At that time, her monster grew massively and she went through so many embolisations that she lost count. But no matter how many Onyx-glew was stocked in that (mostly) arterial tumor, the monster kept fighting back. So hard that she didn't have the chance to continue her dreamjob, teaching migrants and elderly people.
Although she studies for so many years and carries a degree in psychologie, anthropology and teaching; she found herself stuck at home on the sofa, caressing her cat untill the point there where more cathair on her clothes a than on the animal herself. The pain she experiences everyday blockes her from doing what she wants. Besides pain her symptoms are tiredness, a constant tension in shoulders and neck, chronical infections on the muscles, extreme tiredness, and a constant immens pressure from the inside out - As her AVM fills her whole upperbody on the left side.
During all the procedures, hospitalstays, medical investigations and the constant reminder that she is "special" Eefje started a blog to keep her friends and family up to date, without constantly repeating herself. The reactions on her story was heartwarming, so she never stopped writing. Not only is she writing a book about how to live with an extreme AVM, chronic pain, accumulating physical restrictions and a limited life-expectancy. She also started her own non-profit organisation called Monster en het Meisje - which literally means 'Monster and the Girl' in Nederlands. The goal of this non-profit organisation is to raise awareness for AVM in the medical world but also in everyday society. With lectures, meetings, articles, the autobiography and so much more to write down here, Eefje is trying to raise understanding amongst people, give information to patiënts, their environment on what's it like living with this rare - and many times invisible - condition and the fact that we refuse to be put in a corner. As we are treasures of life - Just because, we carry a monster around.