Viewers of the ‘Buying without Watching’ program couldn’t believe their luck last week: finally there was a positive couple with realistic wishes. This week it was the turn of Robert-Jan and Maran. The couple had a long wish list and a demanding attitude. Although the viewers were very critical, the couple carries great sadness with them.
Loss
In December 2016, Maran was told that her mother has cancer. For a while it seemed to be going well, but two years later the cancer had spread. “I heard about the same time that I was pregnant and that I was going to lose my mother,” Maran told the website of the Helen Dowling Institute, which provides psychological care for cancer.
back problems
To recover, her mother Miriam had to undergo major surgery, which involved removing her uterus, ovaries and as many lymph nodes as possible. It remained calm for a year, but then Miriam started to suffer terribly from stomach, back and intestinal complaints. It turned out to be wrong: the cancer had spread in three places.
bright spot
After a new treatment, the cancer was no longer visible, and they celebrated life together. Until the fall of 2018, when the cancer appeared to have metastasized again. “After the news that only life-prolonging treatment was possible, I panicked. As if I had to ask every possible question I might get now, because later I couldn’t do it anymore and then I would regret it.” Fortunately, her mother is still living through the pregnancy. “The fact that my mother was able to experience the pregnancy and to fulfill the oma role in the life of my son Wolf for ten months was an incredible gift and a bright spot in this dark period,” said Maran.
