Dr. Karina

Children bring a lot of worries with them, according to the average parent. Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to our Karina. She was 15 when she suddenly became part of my family one Sunday in 2012. The next day, I drove her from Vijlen to Bernardinus College in Heerlen for the first time. There she attended grammar school, specialising in Nature and Health (N&G), and she was an above-average student.

Only a select few on this planet can handle grammar school with this profile. They include our future medical specialists. You need a high IQ, but even more so other qualities, such as discipline, dedication and conviction. Every evening at half past ten, I went to her room to urge her to close her books for the day. She would then come downstairs for a drink, relax a little and then go to bed. Five days a week, never a word of complaint, no whining, no moaning. I always found it very difficult for her that everyone took her achievements for granted. Yes, Karina, she can do that, she'll get it done.

In Year 5, she had to do a taster internship. Of course, the idea was to explore a field of work that matched her profile. To our great surprise, she didn't want to go to a hospital department. She couldn't see herself in the role of a medical specialist in the future. I arranged a day for her at a law firm. She enjoyed that. She had already gained work experience in the hospitality industry, which she also enjoyed. She was very popular as a holiday worker and for part-time jobs. After she graduated, we set out to visit universities and explore different fields of study. From law to economics and back again. But at the last minute, Karina chose Language and Culture Studies in Utrecht. Okay, you're young and you want to make your own choices. Parents should mainly provide support. And so we took the removal van to Utrecht.

After two years, the long-awaited decision came that she did not want to continue with this course. Even Arend Jan Boekestijn had taken her under his wing, but it wasn't challenging enough. Without our knowledge, she had taken the decentralised test for the Medicine programme in Maastricht and passed with flying colours. Back to Maastricht, which was great for us, and a field of study that matched her Gymnasium profile. We were allowed to attend a cardiology lecture once, which was great fun. She worked at Tripolis when she had time, helped out in the ICU during the coronavirus pandemic, and worked at the GP practice at the academic hospital. She was a kidney courier, driving kidneys for transplants from hospital to hospital in a special delivery van. Nothing was too much for her. But she was always a daughter, always attentive to us, we always had her around us somewhere.

During her medical studies, she helped with doctoral research in the Gynaecology department. She was well known there, because she had completed several internships there. When the doctoral candidate dropped out, she was asked if she wanted to continue the research. That's the kind of moment when you have a father-daughter conversation. I now know that whatever I advise will never be followed. That's how children are. So if you want them to go in a certain direction, you have to advise them to go in the opposite direction. You can guess what happened. She agreed to do it. In addition to her regular medical studies, she started working on the research.

When I read her thesis, I finally understood what she had done. Over a period of seven years, she had interviewed nearly 1,000 women who had given birth in order to gain insight into their experiences with continuous care during childbirth. During her defence, she was questioned sharply, but she held her ground. It is an academic session that concludes with “ora est” (it is time). The pro-vice-chancellor, who replaces the vice-chancellor as chair during the academic session, told me afterwards that it wasn't difficult to find the parents in the room. They are always crying. I admit, I had a lump in my throat throughout the entire ceremony. But that was true for all the family members and friends. Everyone was proud of this star. She obtained her doctorate at the age of 29. She now works in a general practice because her training as a gynaecologist did not meet her expectations. She obtained her doctorate in gynaecology, but will soon be a general practitioner. She will then be both a doctor and a PhD. Doctor is the professional title, PhD is the highest academic degree.

Embrace your loved ones during the coming holidays. Realise that they are important to you. I wish you much happiness and good health for 2026.