The MS-Huis Menen vzw will close its doors permanently at the end of September. “After 13 years of faithful service as a nurse, coordinator and president, a chapter is closed,” says President Marleen Deruytere on the MS-Huis Menen vzw website.
“Those were wonderful years in which close friendships were built. Years of intense joy, laughter and tears. I think I can say that we can all look back on a very pleasant time with many great encounters, chats and with absolute evidence our five day trip to Burgundy. But at the end of September we will definitively close the accounts and the Onlus will be dissolved “.
Friendships
“I would like to thank all MS-Huis visitors and helping hands for coming for many years. Also for the trust you have had in me all this time. Let’s hope the end of the nonprofit doesn’t mean the end of our friendships. I wish you all the best and above all good health, “said the president of the association.
As an MS patient, Marleen Deruytere knows very well what it is like to live with multiple sclerosis. “At the time, as a young patient, I had almost nowhere to go, fortunately I could count on the support of my family doctor. At the request of the Hasselt neurologist, I opened an MS home in Menen myself. I never imagined that we would have so many members years later, ”Marleen told this newspaper some time ago.
Meeting point
MS-Huis grew for ten years under the wings of the non-profit association Lidwina, before continuing on its own in 2018 as an independent non-profit organization. A permanent post was found in the Allegro local service center in Volkslaan.
“People who have just been diagnosed with MS come here with a lot of question marks. Here they discover that life doesn’t stop when you have MS. Those who entered here with a frightened heart returned home happy and relieved after the first meeting ”. In addition to individual guidance and support, the MS-Huis was primarily a meeting place for MS patients. “Our members can share experiences with other sufferers, but they can also enjoy pleasant moments over coffee or a hobby afternoon,” says Marleen.
However, the years of the crown left their mark on the functioning of the MS House, which was in urgent need of a new one Increase. “The MS House takes a lot of work. We find it increasingly difficult to recruit enough volunteers for the beautiful and important work we do. Today, this often falls on the shoulders of the same people over and over again. We would like to see this changed, “she also played earlier this year.
World of difference
Marleen Deruytere did not want to communicate why the non-profit organization was discontinued. But the reactions to the news of the interruption show that the appreciation of the visitors of the MS-Huis Menen for the years of dedication of Marleen, her husband Stefaan and the volunteers is very high:
You’ve made a difference for people with MS in Menen and beyond …
You have been giving hope for years to people who were in danger of losing them.
Thank you for your commitment, friendship and all that you mean to me and to others.
So much respect to you and all the volunteers.
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