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LOVE ME
A vision of a child, a reality of an adult
Welcome through the gate!
This is the story of MUNISA ELEPHANTI and its founder, Denise Vanderbroeck, nicknamed Dennis, born in the 80s in the south of the Netherlands, in a small town called Sittard. Life didn’t start as expected, as I decided to start life with my butt instead of my head. Which wasn’t the best birth my mother could have had, to say the least. Thankfully, she gave birth to my sister before this terrible experience… My parents are still together after 40 plus years of marriage. My dad was born and raised in Sittard, and my mom was born in Amsterdam.
80's
For the first year and a half, my right arm didn’t function due to Erb’s paralysis. I was paralyzed and had to work my way back to hope or pray for movement in any kind of way. That’s why I had my swimming diplomas before I was four, and I hung on rings for 30 minutes each day, rowing, physiotherapy, and it went on and on. Until I was 7 years old and went to a spine doctor who was supposed to check my scoliosis. He saw that my right shoulder had been dislocated due to childbirth… So, all the exercises, everything I did in hopes of getting better, was lost. I ruined my own shoulder. It took a team of specialists a year to come up with a plan to fix this. This period of shoulder surgeries and insecurities at such a young age brought me to MUNISA ELEPHANTI; at this point, it’s just an elephant butt that I need to draw to get my hands to keep functioning. Little did I know this was going to be my biggest joy!
90's
After all the surgeries, life started to improve when I discovered my passion for education and started retail and business in my hometown. Born into a family of entrepreneurs, it seemed so logical. But at the age of 19, my body gave its first stop sign—standing all day and using my hands was not going to be my profession. Having my own store became the first fairy tale to pop...
00's
When your body is giving up on you, your mind is still there to be challenged. So that was my new strategy. I was going to finish a bachelor's degree in business economics and marketing at Hogeschool Rotterdam (formerly known as HES).
This was one of the best decisions I ever made—moving to Rotterdam and exploring myself. I met a dean who was going to help me change a lot of things in my life. She became one of my best friends. I knew when I started my education I needed surgery after my first year. So, it was very important for me to succeed in my first year because surgery and rehabilitation are impossible to plan. Missing too much would mean no bachelor's degree for me. It felt unfair that having a disability would decide if I could finish. So, while rehabilitating, my dean and I came up with a plan to help students with disabilities. To let them know what they are entitled to. How they can improve. Where they need help. Creating workshops, giving readings, breaking down unnecessary walls for all students. Before we knew it, the plan became bigger and bigger. More people supported us, and even the board of Hogeschool Rotterdam was enthusiastic! We called it Power Platform to empower the students. Nowadays, twenty years later, the Power Platform still exists and is renamed Student Welfare (Student en Welzijn).
Moving on my own wasn’t that easy. It took some time to find new doctors and physiotherapists. Although I still lived in the same country, it didn’t feel like it. Change is always difficult and knowing you’re not in control. The good thing about change is that it can give a new perspective. This new doctor definitely did! He discovered I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that causes joint (sub)-luxations, neck instabilities, blood pressure, vascular risks, and many more annoying things.
10's
Because of all the uncertainties in my life, I had a life coach teaching me breathing and meditation practices that helped me calm my mind when I felt overwhelmed because of pain, nausea, and spasms. This gave me my direction in life. Working from love, for yourself and all others. I also did several retreats to be as free in my body as I can be.
In 2006, Dutch television showed the world's first beauty pageant (Mis(s) Verkiezing) for women with a disability. This was an opportunity I had to take. The winner would have a team for a year to make real changes, and you would have a meeting with the prime minister. I auditioned and was one of the 12 women on the live show. I learned so much from this experience. Not only how to present yourself but also about people's perceptions of having a disability. Why should you show yourself like that... Well, we show it because we are here! I came fourth, which was more than I could imagine. I was the only one with a so-called hidden disability. I started using walking aids later that year. I met amazing people with whom I’m still connected.
There’s one foundation I would like to explain about. I met the director at an event from the beauty pageant. He introduced me to the founder of the foundation called Stichting Intermobiel. A foundation for people with disabilities who are mostly housebound, like the founder herself. In the beginning, I helped as a volunteer to raise money or bring awareness. Nowadays, I’m an ambassador and speak about sex with a disability, having children with a disability, write columns (Dutch only, sorry), and participate in a monthly Zoom where we speak about the good, the bad, and the ugly in our lives in a completely discreet zone and many more activities.
Present
Because of all these and many more amazing highs and lows in my life, I decided it was time to combine all the things I learned and love to share with you. With my hands almost non-functional, the Elephant butt is nowadays the only thing that I can draw. If I knew this as a child, I would have gone wild. But when life gives you an elephant butt, I turn it into MUNISA ELEPHANTI! MUNISA ELEPHANTI is from me for you! Loving yourself, feeding yourself, inspiring, desiring everything for you.
As I promised, the moon will be your light; you’ll find new moon lifestyle activities, for instance, meditation, recipes, or music. On the full moon, you’ll find more stories about me. My view on life or things I have experienced. For the sun will always rise, you’ll have to wait a little bit longer. Here you’ll find my sunrise, how I make my art, and the sunset with finished artwork. It will be a bumpy road. No doubt about that, but in the end, it will be filled with tickles and laughter!
MUNISA ELEPHANTI thanks you for reading this!