BobbyB
11-17-2006, 11:13 PM
http://www.dailypost.co.nz/pics/terpstra.JPG
Rein and Willie Terpstra
Willie Terpstra - a pioneer and a fighter
18.11.2006
By ALANAH MAY ERIKSEN
Rein Terpstra held his dying wife in his arms, gave her a kiss and said "go to sleep".
After a long, tough battle with motor neurone disease his wife Willie Terpstra, 66, died on Thursday night at the couple's Tihi-o-Tonga home. In November 2003 Mrs Terpstra was diagnosed with the terminal muscle-wasting illness which slowly robs people of their ability to talk, eat, move and breathe.
In a last-ditch bid to extend her life, she underwent foetal cell surgery, intended to slow the onset of the disease, at Beijing West Hill Hospital in China last March.
The surgery involves injecting millions of nasal passage cells from aborted foetuses, which are donated for science, into a patient's brain or spine.
The transplanted cells regenerate and restore muscle movement.
The Terpstras believed the surgery extended Willie's life by months.
"She died in my arms, I'm lucky she did. She did not die alone. I gave her a kiss and said 'go to sleep'," Mr Terpstra said.
Three weeks ago, Mrs Terpstra was walking the dog and playing bridge with her friends.
"She's been a fighter alright," her husband said. "She never ever moaned or complained and a lot of people would have - a very amazing woman, otherwise I wouldn't have married her."
The couple were to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary next month by lunching on the Lakeland Queen.
"She was bubbly, she loved life, all sorts of sports, she was a happy woman and never had an ill word to say about anyone. She's a good woman and has always been good to me, we had a happy marriage, we've done a lot."
The couple, who emigrated from Holland 26 years ago, met at a computer manufacturing centre where they both worked.
"It must have been love at first sight. I loved and hated her because she had a big mouth when we were young but she toned down after a while," Mr Terpstra said.
Mrs Terpstra will be cremated at the Rotorua Crematorium on Sala St at 11am on Wednesday, followed by a lunch at Neil Hunt Park, where she played bridge. She is survived by her husband and three children, Michael, Renske and Jan, and a grandchild.
Rein and Willie Terpstra
Willie Terpstra - a pioneer and a fighter
18.11.2006
By ALANAH MAY ERIKSEN
Rein Terpstra held his dying wife in his arms, gave her a kiss and said "go to sleep".
After a long, tough battle with motor neurone disease his wife Willie Terpstra, 66, died on Thursday night at the couple's Tihi-o-Tonga home. In November 2003 Mrs Terpstra was diagnosed with the terminal muscle-wasting illness which slowly robs people of their ability to talk, eat, move and breathe.
In a last-ditch bid to extend her life, she underwent foetal cell surgery, intended to slow the onset of the disease, at Beijing West Hill Hospital in China last March.
The surgery involves injecting millions of nasal passage cells from aborted foetuses, which are donated for science, into a patient's brain or spine.
The transplanted cells regenerate and restore muscle movement.
The Terpstras believed the surgery extended Willie's life by months.
"She died in my arms, I'm lucky she did. She did not die alone. I gave her a kiss and said 'go to sleep'," Mr Terpstra said.
Three weeks ago, Mrs Terpstra was walking the dog and playing bridge with her friends.
"She's been a fighter alright," her husband said. "She never ever moaned or complained and a lot of people would have - a very amazing woman, otherwise I wouldn't have married her."
The couple were to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary next month by lunching on the Lakeland Queen.
"She was bubbly, she loved life, all sorts of sports, she was a happy woman and never had an ill word to say about anyone. She's a good woman and has always been good to me, we had a happy marriage, we've done a lot."
The couple, who emigrated from Holland 26 years ago, met at a computer manufacturing centre where they both worked.
"It must have been love at first sight. I loved and hated her because she had a big mouth when we were young but she toned down after a while," Mr Terpstra said.
Mrs Terpstra will be cremated at the Rotorua Crematorium on Sala St at 11am on Wednesday, followed by a lunch at Neil Hunt Park, where she played bridge. She is survived by her husband and three children, Michael, Renske and Jan, and a grandchild.