Live as if today could be your last day
In memory of Holkje van der Veer OP (1960-2022)
The other day, I presented a paper on the Dutch healthcare system's future from the Catholic Social Teaching perspective. The occasion was the inaugural lecture of Professor Stef Groenwoud as professor of care ethics at the Calvinist Theological University of Kampen. On occasions like this, I would have called my friend, sister Holkje van der Veer OP, to advise me on thinking through a topic like this. But sadly, Holkje passed away last year.
A cool sister
Sister Holkje lived with the reality that every day could be her last day. Yet, it never seemed to have stopped her from doing anything. Her religious life was not conventional by any standards, yet there was no doubt that she was a preacher and had a story to tell. During the last year of her life, she successfully mobilised Catholic women to participate in the Synod on Synodality. The media loved her, calling her the “coolest nun of the Netherlands.”
A professional patient
Looking for alternatives, I came across two interviews with Holkje on the experience of being a ‘professional’ patient. In these interviews, she defended the idea that patients should receive training on preparing for a consult, organising the care they need and, above all, developing coping mechanisms to protect their mental well-being. Being a patient is a full-time job, she said. And she could know, having lived with Marfan syndrome all her life.
A bad experience
Listening to the interviews, I was reminded of a conversation I had with her after her yearly medical check-up. The results were good, but the process had made her feel ill. She had been dreading this consult for weeks because the message could be that her end was near. However, the consult started late, was interrupted twice by a phone call to the doctor and lasted less than 8 minutes (interruptions included). The medical expert had not paid attention to her as a human person but just functioned as a messenger.
Vitamine A (attention) as a remedy
So, in memory of Holkje, I included this point as the final point in my paper. The most significant improvement in the health care system in the Netherlands is vitamin A: Attention. Not only patients would benefit from more attention, but medical staff as well. Paying attention can do so much good today, especially when we do not know whether we will be around tomorrow.