Tini Bauters
Crew
Tini Bauters, 49 and from Belgium, is married and mother of three, two girls and a boy. Back in 2002 she got diagnosed with ‘probable MS’ and after a few years she quit her job because she could not work partly from home. Since then she tried all kinds of new tracks to give her life stuffing. It took her quite a while to redefine her dreams and goals, but recently she rediscovered her love of travel, the hunger for adventure and new cultures.
Two years ago Tini's neurologist gave her the first challenging invitation to take part in a trek through the Jordan desert with a group of MS patients and carers. She admits that it was a quite tough 100 miles, still she says, "it was a completely different way of experiencing adventure than what I experienced in the pre MS period where I was a little less open minded maybe, more focused on moving on, but still, at least as intensely lived! Perhaps even more simply by the sudden realization that this really is still possible, that life did not stop at the MS diagnosis."
Some weeks ago one of Tini's Jordan-trip companions sent her the Sailing Sclerosis link and although she only has limited sailing experience, she didn’t hesitate to promptly present her candidacy to be part of the OOH crew. She strongly recommends taking part in such projects with other people with MS, which bring about the realization that there is always a possibility to push your limits. When asked what she looks forward to the most, she says, "For myself, being in interaction with one of the strongest elements of nature is really an amazing opportunity, frightening, overwhelming and exciting at the same time. I am looking forward to the peace and nature experience, new challenges and friends, dreaming cradling under a sky full of stars."