The world is as small as one can make it! Recently, a Dutch teenage girl who is dying of terminal brain cancer, grabbed the hearts of tens of thousands of well-wishers in The Netherlands, as a result of receiving bunches of “get well soon” cards as a last request.
Sabine Wortelboer, 15, who was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour last year, first came to the public’s attention when her TV-presenter brother Sol and her family started a crowdfunding campaign to pay for specialised treatment in the United States.
She travelled to Houston for treatment and initially it seemed to have worked, but after a bout of gastrointestinal inflammation she was unable to take her medication and the cancer returned, the Dutch tabloid Algemeen Dagblad reported.
Last week Sabine wrote in her final post on Facebook that the result of her latest MRI scan “was really bad” as the tumour continues to grow.
“After the result I’ve decided to stop all medication. It’s not going to work anymore.” “I would really like it people, for the last time, can send me a whole bunch of cards,” said the petite blonde, who included her home address.
By Tuesday morning, some 33,000 cards had arrived at her doorstep.
Video posted online showed crate after crate filled with cards being delivered by the Dutch postal service, which said it had to employ a special team just to sort out the cards, according to Dutch broadcaster RTLNieuws.
Sabine’s mother Ilse told the Algemeen Dagblad she believed her daughter “did not have a lot more time.”
The teen slept most of the time, but “she is not in pain and when she’s awake, she’s very lucid,” Ilse added.
Sabine in her last blog post added: “I think it’s time to say goodbye.” “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
Last year a terminally ill six-year-old Dutch boy raised more than 2.5 million euros by daring people to paint their nails — including Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
