Eddie Wolfswinkel, 27, has been diagnosed with Lyme disease for years. But his big dream – to travel without burdening the planet – remained the same. Contrary to his health. But now that he’s fully recovered (almost), he goes on a hike from Sicily to Holland: about 3,000 kilometers in six months.
forester
Eddie has always been an “outdoor boy,” so choosing to train MBO at Helicon in Velp (Forest and Nature Department) was an obvious choice. After his training, he became a forest ranger at Staatsbudgetheer and worked at Terschelling from 2014 onwards. Wadden Island is beautiful, but unfortunately has a lot of ticks. In 2017, Eddie continued his career at Schouwen-Duiveland in Zeeland. In mid-2017, Lyme disease began manifesting in chronic fatigue, an irregular heartbeat, and later visual impairment. Terschelling may have already been contracted. Little by little Eddie is getting better. He feels a lot more fit than he did a few years ago. And since life is very short and sometimes even shorter than you think, he actively pursued his dream: “It’s time to take a trip.”
Travel without burdening the planet
This was the main goal. So there are no planes and few other modes of transportation that harm the planet as much as possible. A good friend is going to Sicily by car in October, and then the idea of driving with him and back came from there. After a little research, it turns out that there are plenty of hiking routes across Europe. Another continent is not possible, because then you will have to take a plane, which is exhausting again. And let Europe now also have enough beautiful places. After Sicily, the plan is to continue through Rome, Venice, Austria and the Black Forest in Germany towards Hanover and then cross the border at Arnhem to Amersfoort. A great challenge that will take about 3,000 kilometers and a half.
Helping children with Lyme disease
Eddie also wants to help others on his walking tour. He not only wants to achieve performance with his career, but above all with the money he wants to collect with it. An achievement that really sets the record straight and gets really close to his heart. And so he ended up in the Tick Disease Foundation. A voluntary organization committed to providing the best and broadest possible information about tick bite diseases (including Lyme disease) and research into these diseases. For which there is still no good diagnostic method and certainly no suitable and affordable treatment. Children are given top priority at the Tick Bite Disease Foundation: this is where most of the victims fall. Not only do they (logically) get the largest number of tick bites, but if they do not get a red ring / spot (the so-called EM = Erythema Migrans) – evidence of Lyme disease – often the disease is not recognized in time and becomes chronic. The Foundation would like to train one or more pediatricians to become Lyme specialists, so that these children can be helped in a timely and better manner.
to donate
Eddie has his own Geef.nl donation page: Geef.nl/nl/actie/lopentegenlyme. There is already a good donation. The counter is already 2,400 euros. But of course Eddie also has to pay for his equipment and live on that money for six months. That is why the target amount is 100,000 euros. -. Because retraining a pediatrician is not cheap but it is very important!
Source: tick bite. nl
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