{"id":6357,"date":"2024-12-14T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-14T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/bibliotheek\/buddy-zoe\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T17:15:53","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T15:15:53","slug":"buddy-zoe","status":"publish","type":"library_pt","link":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/library\/kolommen\/buddy-zoe\/","title":{"rendered":"Buddy Zo\u00eb"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2024-12-14T15:30:00+01:00\">14 December 2024<\/time><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the midst of all this misery, the Kraaijeveld family came into our lives. They were paired with us as our \u201cbuddies.\u201d Father Andr\u00e9, mother Yvonne, and the twins Bo and Zo\u00eb. Zo\u00eb, now 19, also had eye cancer when she was young. She went through virtually the same medical ordeal. As a father, I hope that the comparison doesn\u2019t end there. Because what strength this beautiful young woman possesses! For Milan\u2014and really, for everyone\u2014she is living proof that you\u2019re not defined by what you go through, but by how you respond to it.         <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let me give you an example. Last April, Zo\u00eb gave an interview to a newspaper. In it, she said, \u201cLiving with a disability is just a fact of life for me. I still do everything I want to do, and then I see if it\u2019s possible.\u201d    <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This interview appeared in the newspaper because Zo\u00eb had just become the national korfball champion with the PKC\/Vertom A1 team in a sold-out Ahoy! National champion! As in, the best in the whole country. At Ahoy! Not in spite of everything, but thanks to everything. That\u2019s how she put it, and that\u2019s how she played on the court.       <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I attended the final game at the family\u2019s invitation. After the final whistle, I looked at Yvonne and Andr\u00e9 and saw them watching Zo\u00eb in a way that only parents can look at their children. Later, I asked Yvonne if they had ever thought at first that korfball might not be the best sport for Zo\u00eb. She agreed. \u201cZo\u00eb was first asked to take up competitive swimming. She liked korfball better, partly because her sister Bo was going to play it. We often thought that at a higher level, Zo\u00eb would struggle with the speed of the game. But she adapted every time.\u201d And she still enjoys playing korfball\u2014which, after all, is what matters most. She sometimes says, \u201cWho knows\u2014if I\u2019d taken up swimming, I might have even competed in the Paralympic Games.\u201d        <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">  There\u2019s a beautiful contradiction at the heart of this story. Zo\u00eb, who dreams of reaching the highest level in sports, and her parents, who always wondered whether she was ready for the next level. You could say this is a child\u2019s boldness pitted against her parents\u2019 protectiveness. But it\u2019s so much more than that. It was Yvonne and Andr\u00e9 who gave Zo\u00eb the space to explore at every step. To turn her disability into a strength. Despite the fear that she might fall\u2014whether off the boat or on the field. And it\u2019s Zo\u00eb who shows Milan, her parents, and the world that you can go a long way with a \u201cPippi Longstocking\u201d mindset.         <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Milan is playing volleyball now. He says he\u2019s having fun. He also mentions that he sometimes has trouble judging depth, which means he doesn\u2019t always hit the ball well. And that\u2019s okay. \u201cIt just takes a little longer, Dad.\u201d I smile at hearing such wisdom. Something tells me that Zo\u00eb started out the same way with korfball. So yeah, it\u2019s totally okay, kid. Enjoy it.        <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jan Burger<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When our son Milan was 2.5 months old, he was diagnosed with eye cancer. After countless treatments, the doctors were able to preserve 30% of his vision in one eye. With one artificial eye and one damaged eye, he now faces the world.    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6359,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_daextauttol_enable_tooltips":""},"library_cat":[112],"class_list":["post-6357","library_pt","type-library_pt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","library_cat-kolommen"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library_pt\/6357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library_pt"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/library_pt"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"library_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library_cat?post=6357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}