Hey!

MY NAME IS JURJEN

Until December 2017, my life was sailing smoothly…

Everything seemed to be working out for me. I co-owned a successful company (www.gopublic.nl), frequently addressing groups of people (including at the EO Youth Days in 2014), and had a wonderful family. But in December 2017, after returning home with persistent headaches, I lay down on the bed, only for my wife to find me in a coma shortly after. Rushed to the hospital with screeching tires, it was revealed that I had a benign brain tumour. This led to a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid, obstructing its flow. The ensuing rise in pressure left me disabled overnight due to acquired brain injury.

“Now, my goal is to motivate others to seize the most out of their lives.”

As a consequence of the brain injury, I practically lost my sight, and many memories have faded. Thus began a lengthy journey of rehabilitation. I remain socially blind. My vision is limited to five degrees (a normal person sees about 180 degrees). I perceive the world through a very narrow lens. And since it’s my brain causing the blindness—my eyes are physically fine—I struggle to recognize much of what I see. Faces are no longer familiar (not even those of my own wife and children!), and sometimes other objects escape my recognition too. Confronted with this moment by moment, I naturally plunged into a profound abyss. All I could think about was that I wanted to die. I couldn’t bear to live like this until I slowly began to realize that life might still hold something precious. There’s still a reason to keep going! Gradually, I rediscovered my identity, concentrating on what truly matters.