‘I fully recover’

De Graafschap coach Adrie Poldervaart will enter a new phase of his recovery this week. He will begin a course with a physical and occupational therapist in order to recover from Guillain-Barré syndrome. This is a muscle disease in which the muscles become very weakened and you can even become paralyzed.

Five weeks after Poldervaart sat at home, he is optimistic: “I see an upward trend in my recovery.”

Using a walker, he moves around his home daily. “I notice that walking is getting easier and easier. In addition, the pain has largely subsided, but that is also due to the many medications I take daily. Occasionally I still only feel some tingling in my fingers and toes, but I can’t complain about my progress,” he told the radio program Langs de Lijn En Omstreken.

In addition to the physical discomfort, the trainer also suffered a mental blow. From one day to the next, his life was turned upside down, although he did not dwell on that for too long. “I said to people around me that I find it more annoying for them than for myself. My wife, children and mother were worried, but I myself pretty quickly turned the knob and motivated myself to recover.”

For sitting completely still, the trainer cannot. He is eager to start rehabilitation and is taking matters into his own hands. “I spend half an hour on the exercise bike every day, I go outside twice a day with the walker to take a walk, and in addition I do different exercises to stay mobile. I try to create as many conditions as possible for a good recovery.”

Because that he will be his old self again, the former physical therapist is firmly convinced of that. “I told myself from day one that I’m going to recover completely. Other people who have this disease are regularly in much worse shape than I am. Some even end up in the ICU with severe paralysis. About half of the people who suffer from this disease fully recover, and I’m going to make sure I’m among that half.”

Because in addition to his unbridled dedication, soccer also keeps him going. “Football is my passion. I may no longer have the reigns to make decisions at De Graafschap, but I still get analyses from my assistants. They keep me informed of what is happening at the club. I do it with love, because I want the club to do well.”