My passion for nutrition, fitness and health was ignited around the age of sixteen. I increasingly suffered from pimples and acne and that hindered my thinking and my actions so much that I became determined to find a natural solution – instead of ointments and pills. My instincts already told me that true health only comes from within. I went on a mega quest through websites, American books and all available scientific literature on Pubmed. By means of adjustments in, among other things, nutrition (Paleo diet by Dr. Loren Cordain and The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler), intermittent fasting and sleeping pattern, I got my skin problems under control at the age of nineteen (2005).
However, this turned out to be just a warm-up, because the real health challenge came my way in 2019. I lived in the Netherlands again after having lived abroad for 5 years and that took some getting used to. I worked in international sales in an office and was not happy. I had also started as a Personal Trainer and that gave me energy: helping people become fitter and healthier.
CLL
In 2019, out of the blue, I was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Blood cancer. Incurable. I was 32 years old and one of the youngest with this condition. I sat there, sedated, at the doctor’s office and was told that I would not grow old. My girlfriend and I had just had the loving wish to conceive a child. The doctor told me that this would no longer be possible. It would be genetic. This affected me the most and after I had left the building, I burst into tears. Our whole world was turned upside down.
I could not believe that I had cancer. I had asked the doctor three times if it could definitely not be something else, but it was clear – I had the characteristic crushed lymphocytes. A reaction that I often got from friends was: “but you live healthier than everyone I know”. The world felt unfair, toxic and doomed..
We soon had the reassurance that we could conceive without increased risk – the GP should never have said a number of things.
Patients diagnosed with CLL do not receive immediate treatment because the disease develops more slowly. Patients are placed on Watch & Wait policy. “Incurable? Pure bad luck and I can’t do anything about it? Wait until I become terminally ill and then do something?” That did not fit my attitude and view of life at all. I was determined to go deep – looking for causes and studying and practicing everything that influences body, mind & spirit. Watch & Act!
I already knew a lot about nutrition and started studying orthomolecular therapy and then cPNI. I did my own research into the origins of cancer, the metabolic approach to cancer, radical remissions, biorhythm, microbiome, genomics, methylation, meditation, the healing effect of fresh fruit and learned about the effect of emotions on health.
Six months after the diagnosis I started to get more and more tired – the leukemia cells were increasing and started to crowd out my healthy blood cells. It was the hardest time of my life. I no longer had the energy to be myself – and the man my wife had fallen in love with.
I was lucky that there have been many developments in the field of CLL and “targeted therapy” in the past 5 years. In 2021 I was able to participate in a scientific study with this targeted therapy. It worked and has pushed back the leukemia cells, but the story with CLL is that in a few years you will need treatment again – until resistance occurs and a new treatment has to be found.
I am very grateful to conventional medicine, because the treatment has given me energy back – and time. Time to find and solve possible causes. Family constellations, coaching, clairvoyants, reincarnation therapy, plant medicine, breathwork gave me insights and important pieces of healing.
My goal is to keep the CLL under control so that I no longer need regular treatment.