Leek – Sander Buma has organized a fundraising campaign for 46-year-old Esther Woudstra from Leek. Esther has FTD (front temporal dementia) and her mobility is getting worse. She currently no longer lives with her husband Klaas Struiksma and children at home, but is being nursed in the Wilhelminahoeve in Opende.
Sander wants to raise money with several parties and Esther’s favorite car, a 1971 Plymouth Valiant; get her ‘Black-Beauty’ working again so they can pick Esther up for a ride in this car again. However, this is not possible without help, which is why they are now trying to raise € 2000.
Already received many donations
The fundraising campaign started on Saturday 12 November and half of the target amount has already been collected after 1 day. Below you can read the full information text about the situation regarding Esther and the collection goal. You can also find the link to the fundraising page below.
By Sander Buma
Esther is a young woman of 46, mother of three daughters, who works in dementia care for the elderly and is a dedicated stay-at-home mom with an active and social existence. Esther herself was diagnosed with FTD (front-temporal dementia) in November 2021. FTD is a debilitating form of Alzheimer’s. The frothal lobes of the brain perish and short-term memory is weakened as a result.
Epicurean
Esther enjoyed her life to the full until last year, she was active in many things such as organizing Sinterklaas parties in both her own department in the nursing home and at other companies. In addition, Esther could fully enjoy her family and all the activities around it; visiting amusement parks with the girls, going to events and concerts and, as icing on the cake, American cars. Especially the cruises brought her a lot of joy.
Completely lost sense of time, word and number
Unfortunately, Esther has completely lost sense of time, word and number in one year. Her empathy and feelings have been severely affected by her illness. Esther still has her memories, which is the only advantage of FTD in contrast to Alzheimer’s. Fortunately, FTD also has stable periods, although it is impossible to say in advance how long these periods will last, every day we hope that Esther will remain stable again.
Wilhelminahoeve in Opende
Unfortunately, Esther no longer lives at home at the moment, she is being nursed in the Wilhelminahoeve in Opende. Every day the family drives to Esther for a visit. Twice a week Esther is allowed to go for a few hours walking or driving with her husband and children, she visibly enjoys the latter in particular. The distraction reduces the confusion in her head, she becomes calm and clear.
Getting the 6-cylinder engine running again
Esther’s mobility is getting worse and eventually only cruising will be left. She is often picked up by the Opel Ascona B Police car, but until the summer Esther was the proud owner of her own American. A 1971 Plymouth Valiant; her ‘Black Beauty’. To Esther’s great sadness, the 6-cylinder engine broke down last summer and her splendor has stood still for some time.
We would like to surprise Esther again and pick her up in her gem. However, this cannot be done without help. We would like to ask you for this help along this road. Do you want to make a donation? You can do so via this link: GoFundMe.com
MFor information on FTD (front temporal dementia) see this video below: