Mieke (35)
“I was at the net. A hard attack shot came my way that I wanted to block. But the ball ricocheted off the frame of my own racket and hit me right in the right eye. At first, I didn’t realize how serious it was. But the damage turned out to be irreversible. Fortunately, I still have my own eye. You can hardly tell anything is wrong—only the pupil is slightly dilated. I’ve lost my vision in that eye; I have a blind spot, and it’s hard to judge depth.”
For the first few weeks after the accident, I wasn’t allowed to exert myself—just walking at most. Just a week after the accident, Rinie came to pick me up, and we walked to the tennis court with a small backpack containing our racket. Then we’d do 10 minutes of simple ball drills there. At first, much to my frustration, I missed almost every ball. But things quickly started to improve. We did this a few times a week. I’m so glad Rinie was willing to do that with me.
At first, I was afraid something would happen to my good eye. Fortunately, I’ve gotten over that fear. I’m looking forward to the future with optimism. The OOG in OOG Association really helped me with that. I’m also in the Facebook group. I immediately started looking for people there who also play tennis. I got some advice from a man who plays tennis. And then I thought, “I’m just going to do this!”
It stays exciting at the net, especially when we’re up against a strong opponent. But then I just stand at the back of the court next to Rinie. That way, I can decide for myself when to move forward. That often throws the opponent off a bit, too, so that’s a nice bonus. And I wear sports glasses now. I bought the very best ones. Nothing can happen to me with these on.
“I’m truly grateful and happy that I can play again. Life certainly hasn’t lost its value since the accident. It puts things into perspective, and I’m blessed with a great deal of resilience.”
Rinie (55)
“You do what you can to be there for your friends in such a difficult situation. The first week, Mieke felt very nauseous and dizzy. She really had to get used to seeing with just one eye. After that, things got better.
Those first few times, she often hit over the ball. I’ve also tried playing tennis with one eye closed, and that’s when you realize just how hard it really is. But practice makes perfect. Mieke’s shot quickly got better and better. She does especially well with balls that come in fast and don’t require too much thought. But it’s often the simple balls that are tricky. That’s when she has more trouble judging depth—especially when the ball comes toward the side of her blind eye. And when she has to run to a ball, it’s also harder for her to judge the distance.
I really have a ton of respect for Mieke. She’s so positive. I always thought she’d be able to get back to playing tennis well. But I also knew it would take a long time. It’s no small feat, of course. During the first few months, she’d sometimes get emotional on the court. That was the feeling of helplessness that came from not being able to do it. But that got better every month. I don’t mind at all that she sometimes hits over the ball. I really don’t care one bit. I’m especially hard on myself. I have a lot of respect for Mieke.”
