Ellen Buijnink

Describe yourself in 3 words:

sensitive  emphatic  helpful

Tell us a bit about yourself:

I am married, proud mother of an 18 year old son. I love animals, we have 3 cats, 2 dogs, 1 of which is still a puppy, goats and chickens.

Where do you live:

in Veen, a small village in the south-central part of the Netherlands

What are some of your interests:     

We like to go out with our camper, I enjoy our puppy Skye, who I also train with.    I also really enjoy meeting up with friends and working for the Dutch Association for Overweight and Obesity.

What is your personal experience with obesity:

For most of my adult life I have lived with obesity.  After my mother died, I decided that things had to be different and I opted for a gastric bypass. I had surgery in 2019, after which I decided that I wanted to help people and started as a volunteer at the NVOO.  I am now also on the board and I enjoy working in the Netherlands as a patient representative for people living with obesity.