Brussels, โBelgium – Veerle โHegge, wife of Belgian politician bart de Wever, โคhas publiclyโ revealed her battle with anorexia,โ detailing a harrowing experiance that brought her withinโ days of death. Hegge’s story, shared in a new book and reported by DHnet.be, sheds light on the debilitating eatingโ disorder โขandโ the underlying traumaโฃ she confronted during โขher recovery.
Hegge’s struggle beganโข approximatelyโฃ two โyears ago, initially sparked by joiningโ her husband inโ a diet. However, the situation rapidlyโฃ escalated, rooted โคin unresolved โchildhood sexual abuse she had long kept silent about. According to the report, Hegge’s condition deteriorated to a critical point where โคher potassium levels became dangerouslyโ low, leaving her โjust โขtwo days from death, according to medical professionals.โข
“The โchief doctorโฃ came to see me: ‘We โคmust speak,'”โค Hegge recounted, recalling a conversation onโ June 24th, seven days before her hospitalization.Despite โthe gravity of herโ condition, she initially struggled โขtoโค grasp the severity,โ continuing to work and teach even as her healthโค rapidly declined. The following โday, a doctor bluntly warned her, “You can die at any โฃtime.”
Throughout her illness,โ Hegge balanced the demands โof motherhoodโข with supportingโ her โฃhusband’s politicalโ career. She describedโข her relationship with de Wever as one ofโฃ quiet support: “Bart and โขI are not always a couple of many words, but we are there forโ each other and it gives a good feeling. And this โfeeling is still there.”
While โขstill on the path to recovery -โ acknowledging that enjoyingโ foods likeโ fries without guilt remains a future โgoal – Hegge hopes โคsharing โขher story will destigmatize anorexia and encourage others to seek help. “The more taboo somethingโค remains, the โฃgreater the โคloneliness, and the more anorexia can settle,” she stated. Her โขmessage concludes with โa plea โfor self-compassion: “That they are indulgent towardsโฃ themselves. Whether it’s โa fall of falls and โcovers. And then it will eventually go.โข Iโ think.”