The interview with the transplanted football player Arjan Pothuizen generated many responses. A special reaction came from Carolien Krouwel, who is featured every week as the presenter of SRC TV Magazine of Culemborg TV. Most viewers see a radiant Carolien but do not know that she also has a heavy transplant background.
Culemborg – Carolien is 13 years old when a heart murmur is discovered. She is no longer allowed to exercise, but is still a lab technician, which turned out to be too heavy. Carolien got married, got pregnant and then felt better than ever for a while. Carolien “But after the birth of my son, I quickly deteriorated as a 33-year-old. I felt my energy diminish and started to lose heart, but just in time in 2003 I received the redeeming phone call that a heart was available. This great gift from a stranger changed my life. “
Finger on the pulse
Her transplant was literally followed on TV by the finger on the pulse program and the operation was also shown live. Carolien: ‘Looking back on saying goodbye to family and my son in particular was unreal. My son was already a present, but now we have a very special bond. Hopefully an organ will become available for my fellow sufferers in time and they can enjoy life to the fullest, just like me. I now live 48 hours in a day to catch up. I went back to sports and won silver in badminton at the World Transplant Games in Australia. ‘
Region TV Tiel
Regio TV Tiel saw a story in this and one thing led to another. ‘I was asked to do the production of Tiel at the table, inviting the guests and doing the preliminary work. That was an educational time, but I also wanted the presentation of a program. At TV Tiel they were already provided and then SRG came my way. They were looking for a producer / presenter for a new weekly human interest program with culture, sports and politics central, which Carolien now does with great conviction for Culemborg, West Betuwe and Vijfherenland. www.src.fm. SRC TV
New techniques
Carolien calls on everyone to become a donor and to let your family know. She is pleased that more heart patients can start a second life with new techniques. With the introduction of a technique to boost the heart of a deceased organ donor, 40 extra donor hearts can become available each year. Several doctors now apply this technique. A perfusion machine rehabilitates the stationary heart by keeping it warm and adding blood and oxygen after it has been removed from the body. Then the heart starts beating again and it is ready for transplantation. Heart surgeon Niels van der Kaaij (UMC Utrecht) expects that this technique can double the number of heart transplants in the Netherlands.
Jan Woldberg
‘Let everyone know that you are a donor’
