This is me
This is me!
I’m Kirsten Bronsveld-Rustenburg (1977). I was born in the Netherlands but have lived in Sweden for more than 20 years. I’m married to Arjan, and together we have three children, David, Lars and Meike. We live in beautiful Dalarna, where I enjoy the quietness of nature and the space it gives me to think, write and reflect.
After high school, I studied English at the teacher training college in Rotterdam. I found working in special education deeply rewarding, which inspired me to pursue and complete a degree in Special Education. After moving to Sweden, I worked as an English teacher and later as a special educator and assistant principal at a secondary school in Ludvika Municipality. My work has always been about people—seeing them, listening to them and helping them find ways to use their strengths.
Then, in 2012, my own life changed completely.
After taking an ordinary medication, I developed Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN), a rare and life-threatening reaction to medication. Within just a few days, more than 65% of my skin was lost. I survived, but survival was only the beginning.
The years that followed brought physical complications, psychological trauma, fear, sadness and an exhausting journey of trying to understand what had happened to me. I often looked stronger on the outside than I felt on the inside. Getting my skin back was not the same as being healed.
It took ten years before I was able to put my experiences into words. In 2022, after breaking my ankle while on holiday, something shifted. I began writing—not originally with the intention of publishing a book, but so that my children would one day have my story in my own words, if and when they wanted to read it.
Writing became part of my healing. As I looked back over everything I had experienced, I began to understand something I had not fully recognised before: I had been incredibly strong. I began to feel proud of the way I had faced and survived something I had never imagined I would have to endure.
The document became a manuscript. The manuscript became a book. And eventually, I realised that my story could perhaps help others too.
My Dutch book, Gebroken – niet gescheurd, was published in November 2023, followed by the Swedish edition, Välj då Livet!, in August 2024. Now, my story is reaching an English-speaking audience with An Inner Tornado – My Battle with Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, published by Olympia Publishers on 10 September 2026.
Through my writing and this website, I hope to raise awareness of TEN and, especially, of what can happen after the acute illness. I want healthcare professionals, survivors and their families to understand that recovery can be much more complicated than simply waiting for the skin to heal.
And above all, I want to share a message of hope:
If I could survive it, perhaps you can find the strength to survive what you are facing too.