Veer(le)kracht
“You have been saving money for my studies, haven't you? I would like you to donate that money to the Máxima Center, to help other children with brain cancer as well.”
- Veerle, January 28, 2022, shortly after her diagnosis
Veer(le)Kracht
In early 2022, Veerle - then almost 12 years old - was diagnosed with a Diffuse Midline Glioma (DMG) a rare and agressive form of brain cancer, with an extremely low survival rate. Veerle died from this disease on 8 March 2023 .
Veerle, cheerful, positive, and resilient as she is, did not let the diagnosis get her down. Together with family and friends she launched the Veer(le)kracht initiative (The word 'veerkracht' means resilient in Dutch). Her aim with this initiative is to raise funds for much-needed and innovative research into childhood DMGs in the Netherlands, in order to offer children who suffer from DMGs, such as Veerle, a better chance of survival.
Outside Europe, several promising medical trials have started in the field of DMG. Doctors from the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology ("PMC") want to bring these trials to the Netherlands. The first concrete goal of the Veer(le)kracht Foundation was to raise the amount of €200,000 needed to initiate the first trial (with the drug ONC201). This initial goal was achieved in a very short period of time, and therefore Dr. Jasper van der Lugt and his team from PMC were able to start this trial in November 2022.
The first patients have already been enrolled in this trial. There is also considerable international interest in participating in this trial and subsequent trials; several families have already expressed their interest. The trial is now also available for children who still need to undergo radiotherapy (so right after diagnosis), as well as for children with a recurrence of the disease.
To all Veer(le)kracht supporters, big and small: thanks a thousand times! Without your donations and the many fantastic campaigns that you have started since our inception, this had simply not been possible!