When Van Gogh was born, doctors found that he had a lesion in his brain that was likely exasperated throughout his life by his heavy consumption of absinthe, leading to the seizures. He also ate very poorly and lost most of his teeth in his thirties which led to gastric issues. Van Gogh was known to consume an abundance of alcohol and caffeine, sleep very little, and work too hard which all may have played a role in the onset of his manic episodes. In the early 1880's, Van Gogh fell in love with his widowed cousin, Kee Vos-Stricker, who rejected his romantic advances. Van Gogh's parents strongly disapproved of his pursuit of his cousin and his choice in career, so they lost respect for their own son. Afterwards, Van Gogh became involved with a woman named Sien Hoornik. Sien was once a prostitute and Van Gogh turned her into his muse. He would incorporate this woman into some of his art pieces. Van Gogh's family also disapproved of his relationship with this woman, so their romance was short-lived. His next relationship happened while he was in the Netherlands with his neighbor named Margot