Racing to fight Eye Cancer - Hyrox 2024 RAI

My longtime friend, Ruth Klavert, and I will be racing for Eye Cancer awareness at the Hyrox event in RAI Amsterdam on October 11.

What is Hyrox? HYROX combines both running & functional workout stations, where participants run 1km, followed by 1 functional workout station, repeated eight times, see below for more information about Hyrox.

Why are we doing this?
Ok, let me share my story. It all began two years ago when I noticed a slight blur in my vision. At 34 weeks pregnant, I was diagnosed with eye melanoma—a cancerous tumor about the size of a blueberry 🫐. The doctors told me it was urgent to treat it immediately because of its size. We opted for radiation. In the 35th week of my pregnancy, I underwent surgery with local anesthesia to place markers for the radiation, all while still carrying little Pippa. That was probably the most challenging moment of all. Just 1.5 weeks later, I was induced, and little Pippa ❤️ was born so that we could start radiation two weeks after that. Throughout the process, every decision was made with both Pippa’s health and my recovery in mind. The radiation successfully destroyed the tumor. This August I had another follow-up examination that showed the dead tumor is gradually shrinking, which is a positive sign. I still need injections in my eye every two months. As for the future, I’m not sure what it holds. There’s a 50% chance of liver metastasis, which is daunting. So, we're taking it step by step, day by day, with our little family. The support from our family and friends has made this journey so much easier.

About the project:
We are racing Hyrox to raise awareness for eye cancer. We have chosen the Prinses Maxima Centrum, as it has the unique opportunity to improve the quality of life for all children in the Netherlands with an optic nerve tumor (a different eye tumor).
Developing a new treatment guideline with standardized and optimized treatment approach for optic nerve tumors results in a more structured and effective treatment of patients and improvement of the quality of care. This applies to both patients in the Máxima and patients all over the world.
Short term: prevention of worse vision or reduction of vision for patients with optic nerve tumors through timely treatment of their tumor.
Long term: optimal quality of life for patients with optic nerve tumors. Further research and evaluation of the treatment guideline lead to optimizations, which continues to improve the treatment of patients in the long term. structured and effective treatment of patients and improvement of the quality of care. This applies to both patients in the Máxima and patients all over the world.

For more information about hyrox: https://hyroxnetherlands.com/