Feyenoord players admire sick children

Feyenoord players admire sick children

Yes, of course it was really nice to see the players of Feyenoord Rotterdam on Wednesday with the golden Dutch Association cup in the hall of the Sophia Children’s Hospital. But for nine patients, the annual visit of the club from Rotterdam became even more beautiful.

After the players where congratulated and applauded for winning the cup, the children walked into the shoes of a Metro newspaper reporter in order to interview captain Karim El Ahmadi, goalkeeper Justin Bijlow and striker Bilal Basacikoglu. The children were well prepared and asked a huge list of questions to them. One of the kids sat with clammy hands waiting for the arrival of the players, the other hung down relaxed on the couch playing with his father’s phone. But everyone started to twinkle when El Ahmadi sat down next to the kids with the KNVB cup.

PARALYSED
The contrast could hardly be greater: a top-fit ​​football player who leads a fairly carefree life thanks to his work and children between the age of 6 and 16 who are hospitalised because of their illness. Take Loubna Ettaheri for an example. On the question of how long she has been in the Sophia Children’s Hospital, she replies: all her life. “I was born with an open back and paralysed to my waist,” said the 14-year-old girl. She says it with a smile.

“Why do you have to be grumpy all day long? You always have to laugh. That’s why I like it so much that the Feyenoord players come to visit every year. I do not have a lot with Feyenoord myself, but for the children who are supporters, it is of course great. Then they can forget their worries for a moment. When I was younger I had a hard time with it, but I learned that I am paralysed for the rest of my life and I have to go to the hospital. One month I have to go twice, the other month maybe ten times. Sometimes it is quite difficult to sit in a wheelchair, because my previous one was not able to cross barriers and I always staggered backwards. “

CHEERFUL
Her laughter echoes through the hall of the hospital. The joy of Loubna and the other children impresses the players of Feyenoord. “I understand that the kids are looking up to us a bit, but we are the ones who look up to them,” says El Ahmadi.

“They are all laughing so much, while still having to deal with the necessary difficulties. It is difficult to see how they are faced with such setbacks at a young age. Really, those children are an example for us. They put us with both feet on the ground. They make us realise that we also have to be cheerful every day. “