{"id":6529,"date":"2022-11-08T12:19:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T11:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/bibliotheek\/making-a-fellow-patient-happy-gives-you-energy\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T17:07:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T15:07:01","slug":"making-a-fellow-patient-happy-gives-you-energy","status":"publish","type":"library_pt","link":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/library\/kolommen\/making-a-fellow-patient-happy-gives-you-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a fellow patient happy gives you energy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2022-11-08T12:19:00+01:00\">08 November 2022<\/time><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are all very nice and enjoyable assignments, but it is tiring. In between, I\u2019m also asked if I\u2019d like to write professional articles, and the OOG in OOG Association would love to have some more columns. Meanwhile, the beautiful late-summer weather is drawing me outside. During my long walks, I have plenty of time to think about the content of my lessons and my writing.   <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Talking with Someone in a Similar Situation<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the middle of this busy period, Maaike from the OOG in OOG Association called to ask if I\u2019d be willing to talk to someone who had <a href=\"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/eye-removal\/eye-removal-surgery\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"717\">eye removal surgery<\/a> a few weeks ago and will soon be receiving an <a href=\"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/orbital-prosthesis-or-epithesis\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"868\">epithesis<\/a>. He has many questions about seeing with one eye and what it\u2019s like to wear an epithesis. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The timing isn&#8217;t great, but I&#8217;d like to help. Back then, I would have appreciated having someone to talk to. I agree to do it. A few days later, the fellow sufferer contacts me by email. I answer many of the questions by email. It feels good to be able to help.     <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ll schedule an online meeting. We\u2019ll talk for an hour. It\u2019s a wonderful, engaging, and open conversation about the things that concern us as people with one eye. Getting used to seeing with one eye, people\u2019s reactions to the fact that you have (or have had) cancer, wearing a patch over your empty eye socket, and the process of making the prosthesis.   <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Memories<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During our conversation, a lot of memories come flooding back to me\u2014many things I hadn\u2019t thought about in a long time, if at all. That initial period of fatigue, feeling a bit disoriented, and preferring not to have too many people around you. I tell him that it took me a while to get through that, but that things have gradually gotten better. And that the feeling of fatigue sometimes comes back when I\u2019ve been very busy. My fellow patient soaks it all up like a sponge and says several times that he really appreciates being able to talk to someone who knows what it\u2019s really like.     <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With my busy schedule, meeting in person is really difficult, so we exchange a few more emails and set up another online appointment because talking \u201cin person\u201d is more convenient anyway. We\u2019re pretty much on the same page about how to deal with what happened to us, and once again we talk openly and calmly for an hour. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">This gives me energy<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I tell Maaike that things are going really well with my peer support partner. She says, \u201cIf it\u2019s taking up too much of your time, you really should let me know.\u201d Smiling, I say, \u201cIt won\u2019t always be like this, but this connection with my peer\u2014with the wonderful conversations and the joy it brings\u2014doesn\u2019t drain my energy; it actually gives me energy!\u201d Maaike smiles too as she says, \u201cI can feel a column coming!\u201d   <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Well, Maaike, here you go!<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Anita Hol Bubeck<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s going to be a busy fall for me work-wise. Probably a catch-up effect after the pandemic. Everyone wants me to come back and teach a course. I\u2019m doing a full tour of the Netherlands\u2014from Alkmaar to Assen, from Goes to Hengelo, from Utrecht to Middelburg.      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":5281,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_daextauttol_enable_tooltips":""},"library_cat":[112],"class_list":["post-6529","library_pt","type-library_pt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","library_cat-kolommen"],"acf":[],"permalink_manager":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library_pt\/6529","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\/5281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"library_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ver-ooginoog.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/library_cat?post=6529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}