Updated / This is more or less an open-ended funding goal. The more money is raised, the more is possible to do with it.
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Sarcoma. A type of cancer I had never heard of until just over a year ago, when it turned out that I had a so-called 'leiomyosarcoma' inside of me. It's a rare cancer: it's not well-known and that also means that there is less research and less resources going towards finding successful treatment.
To do something about this, July is Sarcoma Awareness Month worldwide: a month aimed at further highlighting the extraordinary challenges that sarcoma patients face and the need for more sarcoma research and better sarcoma therapies.
My personal story didn't end last year: although surgery to remove the tumor was successful, earlier this year I heard that it has spread to my lungs and liver after all. I will start treatment later this summer with the aim to stabilize this illness for however long possible.
In support of Sarcoma Awareness Month I want to use this opportunity to do a bit more. For my birthday in May I was gifted the most amazing experience put together in secret by my closest friends: a private dance and music performance, at a time when so many of the things I love doing weren't possible. So many people contributed that in addition I can donate a sizeable sum of money to a cause of my choice.
This donation will go to the sarcoma expert center at the Leiden University Medical Center where I am being treated. The money will be used to either understanding the efficacy of certain treatments better (research) or to setting up a small project to increase the wellbeing of patients undergoing chemotherapy (quality of life). I am currently discussing with my doctors what we will do.
I want to take this opportunity to try and increase these funds. You would make me very happy if you will consider donating something, anything to this crowdfunding.
Please note that this is not a call to support my personal treatment plan. I am SO lucky to have access to the best specialist care possible in this hospital in the Netherlands. And at the same time it is important that we get to understand this cancer better so that future patients will have a better chance of survival. I hope we can contribute at least a little to this objective.
Thank you so much for reading this long post and for anything you can do to contribute (even if that just includes sharing this post).
Doneer nu 
