Reni de Boer

Country: Netherlands
Age: 29
Type of MS: relapsing-remitting
Year of Diagnosis: 2004




I have been ill since I was 17. In 2004 I was diagnosed with MS. My biggest complaint is lack of energy. My fatigue limits my daily activity to a third of what a healthy person can do daily. I have reduced feeling in my hands and feet and I am in a wheelchair.

In 2007 I was voted Mis(s) Netherlands and Ambassador for Holland Unlimited in a beauty contest that was broadcast on national television and attracted more than one million viewers. I was crowned by the Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende. Both titles are very important to me because my goal was not only to become a beauty queen but to become an ambassador for the needs of people with disabilities. During 2007 I acted as a bridge between people with disabilities, the general public, politicians, trade and industry. My main fields of work were labour, education, image building and equal rights.

At the moment I am giving lectures and workshops about policy on the field of disability. I also work for Stichting MS Research, the Dutch MS Research foundation, and I am a member of MSIF’s People with MS International Committee. The latter two are very important to me because my goals are to get a cure for MS and to improve the position of disabled people in society. For that, research on MS is crucial. I know that the first World MS Day on May 27 2009 will contribute to that goal. I am happy to be acting in MSIF’s awareness-raising video for World MS Day and am proud to be playing a part in raising more awareness for the two million people worldwide with MS.

Reni de Boer’s website

Stichting MS Research