My story

I was born in 1958 in the village of Bergen in the North-West of the Netherlands. Growing up with a little brother with Down syndrome it seemed I was predestined for a career as a teacher or caregiver. But it was the magic of writing that won out in the end, the urge to capture existence itself. And that's how I came to earn my living by the pen.

The story of others

I chronicled the stories of others for forty years, as a journalist and copywriter. Those of doers and thinkers, nurses and caregivers, Dutch celebrities, and victims of war and violence. I conducted interviews, edited magazines, filled websites, authored brochures and annual reports. And I approached every assignment with equal love and pleasure. I deleted and rewrote my text until it was written exactly as it should be.

No story

And then my writing stalled abruptly. Something happened that left me speechless. My son, my youngest child, took his own life at 22. There was only one thing I could do to stay grounded: find words for the unspeakable. Language, my language, had to help me grasp what had happened.

His story

This has resulted in a book. A story about a mother and a son. About love and letting go, life and death, falling and getting back up. And ultimately, about resilience.

The book is called "Pittig", the English eBook version "Spicy". Spicy was published as an eBook in English on September 15, 2025 a few days after the Dutch paperback version and can be purchased through this link. Read more about the content here .

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