In September, Ellen Buijnink one of our patient representatives from The Netherlands had the opportunity to attend an event with the Dutch Association for Obesity (NVOO) and Erica van den Akker, Professor and Paediatric Endocrinologist at the Center for Healthy Weight in Erasmus MC, Rotterdam.
During this event, Erica approached Ellen with a significant question: Could NVOO do something specifically for children with living with obesity? This marked the beginning of our efforts for NVOO to address this challenge.
Together with Jamie Wiegertjes from NVOO, we embarked on a mission to learn more about obesity and find ways to support children affected by it. Our journey took us to a symposium, where we spoke to both children with living with obesity and their parents. These conversations were deeply moving, especially one with an 11-year-old girl who touched our hearts. She was struggling with questions many children in her position face: Why her? Why couldn’t she eat the same things her sisters could? She was being bullied at school, making her situation even more heartbreaking.
Living with obesity is difficult for adults, but for a child, it’s even more challenging. These stories reinforced our determination to shine a light on their needs and bring about meaningful change.
On September 28th, we hosted the first-ever NVOO Kids Day for children aged 8 to 12. The event was filled with fun activities like coloring t-shirts, face painting, and circus lessons. It wasn’t just a fun day for the kids, though. For the parents, it offered a valuable opportunity to share their experiences with one another. According to one of the children, it wasn’t just fun—it was “veeeeery fun!”
The event was a huge success, and Ellen and the team at NVOO are incredibly proud of what they achieved, and are already looking forward to the next NVOO Kids Day in 2025!