In this blog, we follow the journey of our colleagues Stefan Timmerman and Henk van Laar, to reach the summit of the Mont Ventoux in June 2022. They will be joining the Give&Live cycling club, which is a group of cyclists that are either organ- or stem cell recipient, donor, or working in the field of transplantation. GenDx sponsors the event, and Henk and Stefan are the lucky GenDx representatives to support the Give&Live cycling club on their way to the top of the mountain.
June 5, 2021
Today, Saturday June 5, we have the first training event of this year ,taking place at the Holterberg. The group of participants gathered at 09:30 am, ready for a day of cycling and socializing! It was perfect day for cycling; cloudy, nice temperature and dry weather. But before we started, time for a cup of coffee and a lunch.
After an introduction of all participants (approximately 30 in total), it was clear that meeting and supporting each other was the most important goal of today. The group was very diverse; there were organ- and stem cell recipients, donors, medical staff from UMCG and even family members of people who passed away due to the unavailability of a donor. You can imagine that the stories of family, friends and the people who have received an organ were impressive to hear. They all seem to value life more consciously, while at the same time they are extremely aware of the vulnerability of their health.
Around 10:30 am it was time to start cycling! Some people who have received a new organ turned out to be extremely good at cycling, while others had the feeling that they have to learn cycling all over again. That is where we, Henk and Stefan, come in. As cycling buddy, it will be our task to support those who have difficulties climbing the mountain. This will be a humble task for us to accomplish.
The training ended at 3:00 pm. On our way back home, we both concluded that it was a great experience to meet everybody and listen to their personal stories. Through this experience we realized more than ever why we are doing our utmost best to provide our customers with the best products and software: to ultimately improve the life and survival rate of transplant patients.
Henk & Stefan
