Picture: Marieke Vervoort in Bungalows Nautilus - Lanzarote
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Hello everybody
My name is Marieke Vervoort, I am from Belgium and I am 31 years old. As you can see, I am sitting in a wheelchair, but this has not always been the case, I did not land in a wheelchair after an accident, but because of a rare progressive disease.
I actually grew up as a healthy child. I used to mountain bike, Jiu-jitsu, ski, I was in a swimming club, and I participated in youth movements, I took part in everything. Suddenly at the age of 15 my life took a completely different direction because of this unknown disease. Slowly and gradually, I had to put more and more things aside, and I ended up in a wheelchair. Because something is wrong with my brain and central nervous system control, I am now paralyzed approximately up to my diaphragm, and my hands are also deteriorating.
In the rehabilitation centre, I slowly but surely learned to find my way by rolling on these wheels. I learned how to dress myself again without help, how to cope with the barriers with my wheelchair, I learnt about mounting and dismounting pavements and other issue that we take for granted. When I learned to drive an adapted car, I started to experience more freedom and independence.
Then, I was completely astonished when I first got in touch with adapted sports. Every sport you can imagine that exists for able bodied athletes also exists for rollers… from dancing to rugby. Just incredible! I felt most attracted to wheelchair basketball and went looking for a team and eventually became the only woman in a male team.
I also found my way in to scuba diving. After some time, wheelchair basketball stopped fulfilling my expectations and not long after that I also had to stop diving for medical reasons. I then bought an athletic running wheelchair and so I had the ability and opportunity to start triathlons. First the swimming was mentally very hard, after competition swimming as a non disabled, now watching those legs lifeless dangling in the back was tough, but it did go impressively well. After only 2 months of training I took part in my first aquathlon and finished as third woman overall, me being the only wheelchair participant.
So I both literally and metaphorically free wheeled in to the fearful sport of triathlon. I started in 2004 and in 2006 I was World Champion in Switzerland on the Olympic Distance Physically Challenged or Para-Triathlon. World champion again in 2007, I managed to qualify for the heavy Ironman Hawaii, my ultimate dream! I lived out my dream, I did go to Hawaii. But what was to be a dream became a hell. All my stuff only arrived 4 days before the race, which is a disaster for an athlete. I could not go swimming because I did not have my splints, I could not go biking, because I had no hand bike, and I could not go wheeling / wheelchair riding, as my running wheelchair had not arrived. The only thing I could do was to wait; I was full of fear and stress. I had completely lost the wish to participate. However, I put my mind back to square one and decided I had to make the best of the situation.
The swim start was impressive, just as if we were fish who had not received any food for weeks. Maybe it is hard to believe, but I even enjoyed it, and in the end saw a turtle. After only 1h17 I had completed the 3800m swim and could start the 180km bike. It was extremely hot and the wind was blowing strongly. On the course, I lost my drink bottle and had bad luck because the wind turned just when I reached the turning point. As a result, I had headwind the whole way along, but I did not surrender. I went on. The cut off time is the same for all athletes, physically challenged and able bodied. I finished barely 15 minutes outside of that cut off time, but was not allowed to start the third part of the race. I was immensely disappointed but I still felt and still feel that I am an Iron Lady!
When I came back home, I was crowned the Honour of Flanders, for being the most perseverant person of the year. I was fully determined to come back in 2008 and do the Hawaii Ironman again, but my disease decided differently. My health deteriorated severely and triathlon was not an option anymore. I got really very depressed. From an average of 30 hours of training or so per week to nothing at all, was somehow too much for me. In 2009, my book “Wielemie Sport for Life” was published. It is an honest book about my life. In the meantime, I have found a couple of new challenges: blokart and chair skiing. In October I will participate into my first Blokart World Championship. Last year I did the European Championship in Denmark for the first time and managed to break a record.
With all my experiences, the most beautiful thing that ever came into my life is my dog. She is not only helpful physically but also mentally; for example, she takes my socks off, she grasps things from the floor and she even pays for me in the shop. What I cannot do myself anymore, she does it for me, she is wonderful.
With the story of my life, I would like to let you know that it is so important to see and embrace the things that you can do and appreciate how lucky you are.
Complaining and mourning does not help to keep moving on, it’s rather the opposite.
