In ‘Buying without Looking’, joy alternates very quickly with sadness: shortly following Rens (30) and Cristine (29) hear that they have been chosen to participate in the program, Rens receives devastating news regarding his health. It turns out he has a severe form of MS. Martijn Krabbé (56) and his team are doing everything they can to find a beautiful home for the couple.
“It all still has to land and find a place”
Cristine and Rens bought an apartment not very long ago, but since the birth of their son Juul it is too small and they are looking for something else. They have their sights set on Haarlem, which is not the easiest place to buy something. “Haarlem is extremely difficult and very expensive,” notes Martijn Krabbé. “It often takes a lot of time, do you have that too?” This turns out not to be the case, because their current apartment has already been sold. “We actually have to leave here in three months. So it’s starting to get a little itchy now,” says Cristine.
Update: Rens gives our camera an update on how he is doing now. There is good news: “The treatment has worked.”
Although they know that the search will not be easy, they embark on the adventure with good courage. If the search takes longer than expected, they have an alternative option: they can temporarily live with Cristine’s father in Leeuwarden. Unfortunately, the search begins with a major setback: Rens announces that he has been told that he has MS. “I can’t really understand it yet,” he says in a video message. “It is incredibly sad. It all still has to settle down and find a place.”
Martijn immediately visits the couple to ask how things are going. Rens says that there is a great opportunity for him. “You actually see that there is one treatment that is given in the world, but in the Netherlands it has only existed for a year and it is only for a select group of people who have already completely exhausted their treatment for other medications.” Something that Rens is not yet eligible for.
It is important that he undergoes treatment as soon as possible. “I cannot undo any deterioration I am experiencing now. But we can stop the deterioration through the treatment in Mexico.” Rens has dear friends and family around him, who immediately lent him the money for the treatment. This means that he will go to Mexico, while a crowdfunding campaign is being set up to repay the amount.
The two don’t want to stop the program. When Martijn asks whether they might want to adjust their wishes, Rens responds resolutely: “No. If I now change my mindset to the fact that I will ever need a stair lift, then I am already 10-0 behind. So the living wishes remain exactly the same. ” It is up to the team to continue the search. Rens and Cristine have to make a small concession and that is that they broaden their search location, while in the meantime they live in Friesland.
At the last minute, real estate agent Alex finds a house in Haarlem. For the two, a burden is lifted from their shoulders: they have something fun to look forward to and that gives them extra strength. When it turns out that the treatment has been successful in Mexico and enough money has been raised to (re)pay for the treatment, the joy is complete. Especially like it Buy without Lookingteam delivers a beautiful house at the end of the episode.
Buy without Looking can be seen on Mondays at 8:30 PM on RTL 4. Or look ahead at Videoland.
