Anne Quirijnen from Etten-Leur is set to walk the 42-kilometre Eindhoven Marathon for charity with her eight-year-old son Joris’s ventilator on her back and his mask on her head. She said the equipment makes the challenge harder because she cannot breathe through her nose, gets a dry mouth and feels more restricted. Joris has a rare condition that causes him to stop breathing at night. Anne said he suddenly stopped breathing when he was a day and a half old, after which emergency services were called. Two months later, she and her husband took him home, believing he would not live for long. When Joris was four, he became old enough to use a ventilator, which allowed Anne to let him sleep more safely and reduced the risk to his life.