Marja Machielse – Living with Multiple Sclerosis
“I have been living with Multiple Sclerosis since 1993. Because of my MS (secondary progressive), I can only walk a few steps if I am supported. It is always difficult to get used to losing parts of my physical abilities, but sometimes there is a solution that just feels right.
Two years ago was the last time I used my bike; I bike around the head of the Java Island five times. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get on- and off of my bike anymore. I just wanted to move, I wanted to cycle! The cycling motion is a motion you do not easily forget.”
My first BerkelBike experience!
“We searched the internet and discovered trikes that are not only driven by legs, but are also handbikes. A presentation about the BerkelBike was organized in the Revalidation Centre in Amsterdam, and I got to take it for a test ride. It was great! Three wheels, a chair, I felt like a queen on her throne. The bike was driven by my arms and my legs. It’s truly the Egg of Columbus, especially because the BerkelBike can also be used as an indoor trainer.”
I knew I had to have it
“Though it affected my savings balance, I wanted this bike! And as promised, the BerkelBike arrived in time to spend my vacation on Terschelling riding my bike!
Since I had already had good experiences taking the train in my wheelchair, we gave it a shot with the BerkelBike. This time without the wheelchair, with a scoot mobile and my BerkelBike. This undertaking went just as smooth as my previous journeys.
We did not have to bring our own wheelchair; homecare Friesland already had one ready for use in the hotel. Agis, the insurance company, refunded the expenses. I biked every day and had a lot of fun. If I got too tired, I swapped places with my partner, who was on the mobility scooter.”
