Ruhne Seekles

I am running against cancer during the TCS Amsterdam Marathon

This fantastic initiative gained momentum when my good friend Constant van Brenk stepped forward with his heartbreaking story through running. The more support, the better.

Constant van Brenk

“Cancer has been a constant presence in our family’s life. My older sister Fleur, who is four years my senior, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of four. I was just nine months old at the time. After years of struggle and treatment, she survived and went for her last check-up at the hospital when she was twelve. My sister’s early battle with cancer has always played a significant role in our family. It was frequently discussed and had a huge impact on our surroundings. The illness made her a very strong person in her youth, always doing things for and with others. She collected annually for KWF and contributed in many other volunteer ways.

In 2011, my father Peter was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the age of 61, just months after his retirement. Luckily, he caught it in time, and it could be surgically removed without further treatment. He experienced many complications from the surgery in the years that followed and was never quite the same.

On December 31, 2019, we learned that my father had lung cancer that had spread to his bones. This hit our family incredibly hard. He immediately began chemotherapy and immunotherapy to prolong his life. We knew he wouldn’t get better, but we didn’t know how long he had left. The treatments were grueling, and it was heartbreaking to see what it did to him. Our ideas of making as many beautiful memories as possible were severely limited by the treatments and the weeks following them when he often felt very sick.

In early April 2020, my sister was again struck by cancer. At that time, she had a two-year-old son. She suffered a brain hemorrhage, and after several hours in the hospital, we learned she had a brain tumor and that she had about 1.5 years to live. Our world turned upside down. It was devastating to see her physical decline due to paralysis. After extensive treatment and rehabilitation, she eventually regained the ability to walk, jog, cycle, ride horses, and even skate. Those were significant victories for her and showed just how strong she was.

Meanwhile, it was a terrible time. Due to COVID-19, contact with others was limited. Often, my father and sister were in the hospital at the same time for treatment. The messages in the family chat asking each other how long they were on IV for chemotherapy were horrible to read. It was a time of highs and lows, with tension surrounding the results of scans that could either bring good news or devastating news.

In April 2021, both of them declined rapidly. My father was occasionally hospitalized, and the tumor in my sister’s head was growing, making her life increasingly difficult. After another hospital stay, my father was expected to go home later that morning. Suddenly, the situation changed, and my mother called to say that my father’s body had given up, and I needed to come say goodbye. On June 19, 2021, he passed away at the age of 70. Far too soon and far too quickly.

My sister's condition worsened daily. Communication became more difficult, and physically she was unable to do much. It was dehumanizing to see such a young woman transform into someone who could do nothing. Nine weeks after my father’s death, she passed away on August 21, 2021. Fleur was only 35. The impact of her death on us and our community was immense. Such a young woman, in the prime of life with a son who had just turned four. She fought an unfair battle and was often angry about why this had to happen to her again. Her funeral was very special. She was taken to her final resting place in a large black carriage pulled by two Friesian horses. Hundreds of people lined the route, and all traffic came to a standstill. The only sounds were the church bells ringing and the horses’ hooves on the pavement. Exactly nine weeks after my father’s funeral, we stood there again, and she was laid to rest beside him.

As a family of four, we were halved in just three months. I was left with only my mother. The void they left behind is enormous. I think about them daily and am constantly reminded of their absence. My children will not grow up with their grandfather and aunt, and that thought is terrible.

Around me, I hear nothing but stories of people facing cancer. My grandmother called it the 'feared disease' for a reason. Friends losing parents, children falling ill, acquaintances getting sick or passing away—it just doesn’t stop. I too want to do my part in fighting this disease. Nothing is more important than having the people you love around you for as long as possible.

As a family, we try to enjoy life as much as possible with our loved ones because sadly, time cannot be reversed.

I hope to raise as much money as possible for KWF by running this half marathon so that knowledge about cancer increases and hopefully, it can be fought much better.”