All Antwerp. “Hopefully Rens will be able to take steps himself one day” (Antwerp)
Every weekday our reporter and photographer choose a casual passerby from the street for a nice conversation. Because everyone has a story. Especially in Antwerp. Today: Evelien Van Bekhoven (41) and her son Rens (7).
Rebecca Van Remoortere and Stijn Van Hoydonck
“We are on our way to a rehabilitation center to practice. We are looking at how Rens (7) can eventually learn to walk independently. That’s the ultimate goal, if only for the sake of it. We live just across the Dutch border, close to Essen and have been training twice a week in Antwerp for a year now. He learns to walk with the help of step robots. Rens loves doing it, he notices that he can do more and become stronger. Rens has a lot of energy, but he can’t always use it in his wheelchair. After the sessions in the step robots, he is tired, his head is empty and he sleeps well. It is an intensive process, but we are happy and clearly seeing progress.”
“Rens has a gene mutation that causes him to have a protein deficiency in his brain, which regulates the control in his body. The signals do not get through properly and that causes all kinds of complaints, such as unsteady walking and tremors. Despite his disability, Rens is always very cheerful, especially when we are on our way to the rehabilitation center.”
“I work full-time for him. Rens needs so much care that I have to decide to stop working. I try to get the most out of him. As a mother you want him to be able to do as much as possible. As far as he likes it himself. It should not be at the expense of him.”