Johan has been supporting Children’s Cancer Institute for the last 19 years and is a valued contributor to our regular giving program.
His motivation comes from seeing a childhood friend Henny lose his fight with leukaemia.
‘I had a childhood friend when we were living in the Netherlands in the 1970s. I didn’t know at the time that Henny had leukaemia, it wasn’t something that was openly discussed really in those days and we had moved to another town, so didn’t get to catch up all that often. I’d known that he was sick as he hadn’t been to our high school for a couple of weeks. One morning I walked in to see the national flag at half-mast and was told that Henny had died the previous day after losing his fight with leukamia. He was 14 years old.
I can’t imagine what his death meant to his family, it must have been so terrible to lose a son so young. It had a profound affect on me, and has stayed with me all these years.
Supporting medical research is vitally important to me, as I hope one day that no other child should have to fight against cancer, nd is able to live a healthy wonderful life. I also hope that no other family member or friend of a child that has cancer should have that young person taken away from them because of this insidious disease.
Cancer is a cruel disease and I’ve lost a number of family members. We many never eradicate it in all its forms, but we should never give up trying.
I have chosen to leave a Gift in my Will with the hope that in some small way, I am able to help with the research into treatment options for Children, as their lives are too young to be lost, and maybe they are able to go on and do bold and daring things to benefit humanity with a successful treatment of cancer.
My advice to others is – please give what you are able to. Life is so precious, and to have it taken away from you when you are young is a terrible thing, not only to be the one taken by this horrible disease, but also to those who stay behind'.
