Message of Hope

I am a 3-time breast cancer survivor, my nationality is Dutch, I live and work in Cologne, Germany.
Though I had never painted before, after my second surgery I created a painted story of my survival, this video I called “Message of Hope”. 22 Paintings: Medium Gouache/Oil.
By disseminating this video worldwide on YouTube and international cancer websites I have been able to encourage cancer patients over many years.
My mission is to reinforce the connection between cancer and creativity, motivate patients to find how to express their feelings and hidden emotions through art, which can heal both soul and body.
International cancer organizations invited me to show this video and the 22 paintings at their conferences. I began to give speeches about “Cancer and Art walking hand in hand”.
In 2016 my paintings were exhibited in the European Parliament in Brussels. This was a great event and I was deeply impressed by this honour.
Through all those activities I was inspired to join the ESSO Working Group and to help with the intitiative “Breast Surgeon Certification”. This project finally shaped the BRESO Curriculum in 2020, which is marking a milestone in breast cancer history.
I am a patient advocate for breast cancer issues, Advisor BRESO Working Group and Associate Observer for ABC Global Alliance