I am Olga de Wit, a Dutch girl living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Twenty-four years of age. I enjoy sharing my life with my boyfriend, family and friends, finished my psychology degree at the University of Maastricht, and at this point in my life I'm wrestling, with a lot of fun, through my first year of medical study. As you can see, I'm just an ordinary girl. Still, I feel special as well.

I was born with spina bifida. Like most spina's, I have my bad and good periods mostly depending on my health and environment. During my childhood I didn't realize so much that I was ‘different'. Of course, I could not always participate in all activities, but had a great mother who made up for the moments that I wished I was ‘normal' like all my other classmates, in doing other nice things with me. When I started to live on my own, when I was 19 years, the confrontation with my limitations became bigger. My mother wasn't around anymore to ‘clean up' after me, and arrange my appointment with doctors (e.g.). Finding out how to get the aid you need isn't that simple because the health-system is not always helpful, clear, and takes it time. Still, I also found out that most people have a story certainly not less than my own, which makes you realize that life isn't perfect. As I see it, it's one big challenge.

Despite the fact that everybody has his problems, I still like to be around people with spina just because they understand and fill in the gaps without saying a word. This makes you feel so normal, and gives you the feeling of being part of a whole.

 

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