Meet Frans
Without MyTobii I would be totally lost and frustrated.
In 2005, Frans Vanderbom’s life took a sudden turn when he was diagnosed with ALS. The doctors gave him a maximum of three years to live. A positive outlook on life, supportive friends and family, together with his MyTobii are some of the important reasons why Frans is still alive today.
"Without MyTobii as a communication tool, I would probably not be alive today. I would have been constantly frustrated with not being able to communicate with my surroundings", says Frans Vanderbom by e-mail from his home in Australia, where he lives with his wife Shirley. The couple’s three children are now adults.
Until 2005, Frans lived a rich life and worked as a civil engineer in the construction industry. He has always been regarded as a happy and positive person with many different interests.
"The disease has resulted in me not being able to participate in many of the interests I had before, but I still can see live shows, football, cricket and motor racing. Before I became ill, I used to go swimming, skiing and play badminton."
Lightning from a clear blue sky
The diagnosis of ALS in 2005, understandably came as a big shock for Frans and his wife. The doctors gave him only 2 to 3 years to live with a disease that he had never even heard of. The first thing Frans did when he got the news of the disease was to write a list of things he wanted to do before he died. The list contained mostly longer trips to places he had always wanted to visit. His travel period ended with shorter trips closer to home, including a flight in a glider.
"Nothing stopped me." Frans explained. "Everyone was impressed by how positive I continued to be, despite my illness. I think it is an important reason why I am still alive, plus of course all the help I get from my wife, family and friends."
Sick at 58
The first symptoms of the deadly disease appeared when Frans began finding it difficult to walk and often stumbled. At the age of 58 physicians found that he suffered from "Foot drop", which can be the first stage of ALS, as muscles in the foot weaken. The disease began in Frans’ right leg and spread to his right arm. After his left leg was affected, he bought a scooter in order to get around. The scooter was later replaced by an electric wheelchair.
In November 2008 he received his MyTobii, which Frans thought was simple to learn, as he had always enjoyed working with computers.
"I think most people can learn to use MyTobii. It is perhaps easy for me to say with my background, but give it a chance because there is nothing to lose. The ability to communicate with people is something that is so important and satisfying."
On average, Frans uses his equipment from Tobii for three hours every day. He buys things on e-Bay, reads newspapers and keeps track of his biggest interest, Grand Prix Formula 1 racing. He looks through the day’s television programs, googles for interesting sites and keeps in touch with all of his friends via email.
MyTobii has been given a place on the kitchen counter in his home, where Frans moves in his wheelchair when he wants to keep track of things and leave messages. He knows that it is possible to mount his MyTobii directly to his wheelchair, but this is not the solution for Frans.
"My wife turns on MyTobii every morning, the rest I take care of myself by using my eyes. MyTobii and the devices that I use to control the TV and DVD player, and give me room to be quite independent. Without MyTobii I would be totally lost and frustrated. Nothing would work for me."
Frans thinks that the e-mail system works very well and he uses it every day to write funny, mischievous, interesting and of course, personal e-mails.
Communicate more
"For example, I’ll send an e-mail to my wife, even though she may be sitting in the same room as me, so she can know which TV shows I want to watch in the evening."
After a successful career as a civil engineer, Frans is now in touch with his family, former colleagues and other peers via his MyTobii. Frans has taken MyTobii with him to many different places. Among them, to where he worked before he fell ill. There he made a presentation that he had prepared on his MyTobii. Everyone was fascinated by how the equipment works.
"By telling my story, I hope to help others who are in similar situations as me." says Frans.