{"id":6389,"date":"2023-09-08T08:35:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T06:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/bibliotheek\/zoe-a-fighter-had-retinoblastoma\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T14:42:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:42:07","slug":"zoe-a-fighter-had-retinoblastoma","status":"publish","type":"library_pt","link":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/library\/personal-stories\/zoe-a-fighter-had-retinoblastoma\/","title":{"rendered":"Zo\u00eb, a fighter, had retinoblastoma"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2023-09-08T08:35:00+02:00\">08 September 2023<\/time><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Not in a glass jar<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The radiation treatment has made the blood vessels in Zo\u00eb\u2019s right eye very porous, increasing the risk of bleeding. The hospital therefore advised her, for example, never to take up boxing. Her mother, Yvonne, explains: \u201cWhen Zo\u00eb showed an interest in field hockey, I dismissed it until she came up with her next enthusiastic idea\u2014korfball. But on the other hand, I didn\u2019t want to put her in a glass case either. That wouldn\u2019t have made Zo\u00eb happy.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last korfball season, Zo\u00eb lost her balance once while jumping and landed on her head. That was a scary moment. For a split second, she couldn\u2019t see a thing. Zo\u00eb: \u201cBut I could also bump my head against a table. So it\u2019s not possible to protect it completely. Glasses aren\u2019t an option because the tumor remnants are located right in the center of my eye. That would cause me to look right into the frames, which would actually obstruct my vision even more.\u201d   <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Athletic and Caring<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zo\u00eb describes herself as determined, cheerful, caring, athletic, and a perfectionist. These wonderful qualities also come to the fore when she talks about being a buddy to a family whose son <a href=\"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/retinoblastoma\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"610\">has retinoblastoma <\/a>. The family can turn to Zo\u00eb with all kinds of questions\u2014for example, about how she managed to succeed in mainstream education and what accommodations helped her. \u201cAmong other things, I had a table that could be tilted, books in A3 format, colored paper with bold print, and an electric magnifier. I really appreciated being able to talk to someone at Visio who had the same problem as me. It\u2019s very important to be able to share your experiences with someone in the same situation.\u201d    <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which bus is right for me?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we ask if there are any challenges she faces, Zo\u00eb mentions public transportation to school: \u201cThe buses arrive at almost the same time and have the same numbers. I can\u2019t tell where the bus is going. So it\u2019s hard to figure out which bus I need to take.\u201d Zo\u00eb\u2019s mother came up with a system where you can scan a QR code on the side of the bus. As soon as you scan the code, your phone tells you where the bus is going. Unfortunately, this great idea has remained just that\u2014an idea. Until then, Zo\u00eb is either driven to school or bikes there (about 30 to 35 minutes).    <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That immediately brings back a funny memory for Zo\u00eb. She talks about the times she had to bike to korfball practice in the dark, with no streetlights. She couldn\u2019t see the road in the dark, so she just followed the red taillight of her sister, who was biking ahead of her. \u201cAnd here I was thinking they were cycling safely,\u201d her mother remarks offhandedly.   <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fatigue<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The conversation then turns to the things that bother Zo\u00eb in her daily life. She mentions her fatigue. Especially when she\u2019s had to concentrate a lot, she notices that her vision becomes blurry and she\u2019d rather just stay in bed. When asked if she takes that into account, she says, \u201cNot really. I don\u2019t let much hold me back. I\u2019m always looking for a solution, like with biking. I\u2019m so grateful for the people around me. They\u2019ve helped me whenever I needed it. It was also so nice that I could follow my twin sister\u2019s example. That\u2019s how I was able to ride a bike, play korfball, and do so much more\u2014things I would otherwise have had to figure out all on my own. I don\u2019t think I would have ever become so good at korfball without my sister.\u201d   <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quick Test<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zo\u00eb has always really wanted to know what it\u2019s like to be able to see fully. Her mother picks up on this: \u201cPeople often say, \u2018You don\u2019t see as well.\u2019 But for Zo\u00eb, that\u2019s her normal vision. To find out what Zo\u00eb actually sees, I once sat with her on the curb. We both had to keep looking straight ahead toward our house. Her sister would then walk by. If we saw her\u2014without turning our heads\u2014we had to say \u2018yes.\u2019 And also when we couldn\u2019t see her anymore. We drew a line on the street with sidewalk chalk. That way, we could literally see how much each of us could see. But in the end, I also told Zo\u00eb that it wasn\u2019t something she needed to worry about. After all, if you turn your head, you can see it too.\u201d <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep going<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When I ask Zo\u00eb if she can also look at the situation so objectively, she agrees:<a href=\"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/resilience\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1015\">\u201cYou can\u2019t change the situation anyway. <\/a>Of course, I get sad sometimes, too. It\u2019s okay to feel those emotions. But it\u2019s also important to just keep going and focus on what is possible. Don\u2019t let anything hold you back! If I\u2019d let my limited vision stop me, I\u2019d never have become the Dutch Indoor Korfball Champion at Ahoy.\u201d    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>At a very young age, Zo\u00eb (18) was diagnosed with retinoblastoma. Tumors were found in both eyes. Her left eye could not be saved and has been replaced with a prosthetic eye. To save her right eye and prevent the cancer from spreading, she underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment in Essen, Germany. She still has about 20 to 30% vision in that eye.<br \/>\nIn 2023, Zo\u00eb\u2019s team and her twin sister became national indoor korfball champions\u2014a fantastic achievement\u2014and she was featured in a major article in the AD. We spoke with Zo\u00eb and her mother to learn more about this determined young woman.     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":6390,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_daextauttol_enable_tooltips":""},"library_cat":[113,123],"class_list":["post-6389","library_pt","type-library_pt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","library_cat-personal-stories","library_cat-retinoblastoma"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library_pt\/6389","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\/6390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"library_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library_cat?post=6389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}