Interview with Dr. Mark Vink (English version)

[Grigor]

Interview with Dr. @Mark Vink, family doctor, insurance physician and severe ME patient in a Dutch national newspaper called the Volkskrant.

For patients with CFS, going to the bathroom is similar to running a marathon.

http://anilvanderzee.com/for-patien...he-bathroom-is-similar-to-running-a-marathon/

 

[Hutan]

This is worth reading. Very moving and nicely translated.

Edit - and slams PACE

 

[anni66]

Very good translation and insight into living with this illness. It should be widely shared.

 

[Barry53]

Researchers suggest it’s a mental disease. Bullshit, says doctor and CFS-patient Mark Vink.

Got it in one (the 2nd sentence of course).

 

[Hajnalka]

HI @Grigor, I'm just at the beginning and looking forward to reading this, thank you for the translation!

He was a triathlete, he earned a brown belt in judo, became Dutch champion in hockey, until he contracted pneumonia in 2015

The 2015 should be a 2005.

Edit: Finished it, great article! Mark Vink is an inspiration.

 

[Jesse2233]

this man is the definition of a hero

 

[ScottTriGuy]

My comment on Anil's blog:

Wow, I didn't realize / know Mark Vink was also a severely ill ME patient. We have so many hidden-by-ME heroes in our community. Thanks for sharing Mark's story and efforts. It is both sad and inspiring.

 

[unicorn7]

Big applause for this interview!! Nice to see it translated on your website

The interview was in one of the bigger papers in the Netherlands last saturday. I viewed it with blendle.
On sunday the article was the headline from blendle
and on monday is was the most often viewed article of the weekend

I'm liking the attention

 

[Hajnalka]

As someone who lives not far from the Dutch border, I'm very impressed by the Dutch patient community as a whole. They are 40.000 pwME vs. 300.000 in the neighbor country Germany, but have much, much more advocacy work going on - great Millions Missing events (the one in Den Haag seemed huge, loved the pictures), several buildings + a bridge + a train station in blue light on international ME day this year, regularly translate articles (e.g. trial by error by David Tuller), organized a visit and talk by Linda Tannenbaum on the worldwide OMF End ME/CFS tour, have already announced several Unrest screenings, the blogs by Lou and Anil, the articles and research by Mark...

 

[Grigor]

So cool to read all your comments. Mark is indeed amazing. I'm happy he's on my blog now. Felt people needed to read this.

 

[boombachi]

Thank you to Mark for using his precious energy to fight for us and thank you grigor for the translation.

 

[Grigor]

Thank you, I didn't translate though. 3 unknown ME patients did

 

[boombachi]

Thank you, I didn't translate though. 3 unknown ME patients did

Sorry, I misunderstood. Thank you for bringing the interview to our attention and my appreciation goes out to the unknown translators.

 

[Grigor]

Haha. Yes mine too. It's great because it's the first article by this journalist where the Dutch PACE-trial friends were not asked for their opinion.
She always put a little section with them talking down any advances that were being made like for example in Norway or whatever. So this is quite a switch. It's very positive and big....

 

[Alululu]

Yesss normally they always let the 'Dutch Wessely' have his say, reducing the impact of the content of the article. But now this time!

 

[aaron_c]

3 unknown ME patients did

One of them was me! But the idea and all the organizing was all...well, an anonymous ME patient superstar.

 

[Grigor]

One of them was me! But the idea and all the organizing was all...well, an anonymous ME patient superstar.

Thank you very much

 

[GalaxiiGrl]

I was the other “named” editor.

 

[Grigor]

I added you guys at the bottom of the page. Super thankful that it got translated. I think it's one of the best articles we've ever had in the Netherlands.

 

[Dolphin]

"Mark Vink is one of them, who became chronically bedridden after a physiotherapist had encouraged him to walk and bike a little more every day. 'When an expert tells you that this is what will give you your health back, then you do what he says. I wanted nothing more than to recover.'"