About Willeke Van Eeckhoutte

After retiring from work, she began writing as an exercise in optimism and to highlight what life with an invisible illness is like. She is a qualified library assistant and counsellor and currently studies online Advanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in order to quell her love for psychology. Unless hiding in books or under the duvet, you can find her writing in Starbucks. 

A brief history with the condition

MS arrived on my doorstep carrying a suitcase full of excruciating trigeminal neuralgia and unrelenting fatigue 2,5 years after moving to Ireland. Life turned into an uphill battle with symptoms like chronic neuropathic pain, but after retiring from work, I now realise it has been the wisest decision I could have ever made in relation to my illness. With a combination of traditional and holistic treatment that are sometimes trial and error, I nevertheless am more philosophical, optimistic and in love with life.”