Patty was born in 1961 in The Hague. She came to Norway in 2006 with her husband and two children. In the Netherlands, she had worked as a painter, and her husband had his own business. Before they moved, they had been to Norway a number of times on holiday. They wanted to move to Norway because it is not as densely populated as the Netherlands. Their children would grow up in an area with no crime, beautiful scenery and many opportunities for outdoor activities. First they rented a house in Fåvang, but soon afterwards bought a small farm in Sør-Fron. They got divorced, and after the divorce, Patty moved to another part of the district.

To begin with, Patty had several jobs in Norway, including work in a restaurant and in a reception centre for asylum seekers. Now she has a permanent job with Ringebu Council as a personal assistant. She really appreciates a quiet life and opportunities for outdoor activities, which is completely different from the stress and hectic life of The Hague. One of her biggest challenges is to get to know people. Immigrants need to put in a lot of effort to get to know Norwegians and become accepted. One very important thing for her is the low crime rate, so that she does not have to watch out for her belongings all the time, especially in the rural areas. She has several hobbies, including riding her own horse.

That was one of her dreams when she lived in the Netherlands - to have her own horse at home. She got the horse from her first employer, but still has to rent space for it in a stable. Another hobby is making leather bags. Patty also supports her daughter in her music career and often accompanies her to Oslo.
Patty does not miss her home country. She thinks it is fine to visit people in the Netherlands, but she is always ecstatic when she returns to Norway.