I know no news since July and guess what… yes things changed since the previous chapter… my 3rd life is getting even better.

I am just back from visiting my haematologist in the University Hospital Center of Liege who confirmed that my scleroderma is now decreasing. I of course could feel it myself but having now check-ups on a quarterly basis, it is always reassuring to hear that illness is goes literally away. The bottom line is that I may cut my treatment (photopheresis) by 50% i.e. only 2 half days per month instead of fortnightly. This is a real relief in terms of time management and workload.
Nevertheless, it does not mean that I am 100% back… As mentioned in previous chapter because of the medics I do now have for sure diabetes, no need to get injections though but a bunch of pills to try to keep it all together. That is my new medical challenge.
I am so glad that the main markers are greener than they used to be. It is great to plan again new personal projects, holidays and others.

Unfortunately, I must drop my project to implement in my hometown hospital a service to support people who will or have just been transplanted. This project is, as you can imagine, close to my heart but it will become impossible for me to invest time on this anymore, you will understand why if you keep reading this post :-)).  I will though keep my involvement in different Rotary Club projects mainly to help:

• children with cancer by supporting and help funding AEC
• fighting addictions by supporting and help funding La Teignouse
• promoting giving blood by supporting and promoting the Belgian Red Cross
• our Youth Exchange Programme

These projects are still key and we do progress well in these activities and this will still be feasible even if I am mainly abroad.

Since July, even if I did not take long holidays per se, I had the opportunity to travel anyway to:

• The Netherlands
• Belgian city trips
• Turned 51 in Houston
• Burgundy
• London
• Oxford
• Got a new ride
• A bunch of Barbecues
• And got an old friend married

Most importantly is what is already book ahead and my haematologist okayed our Asian trip for Christmas-New Year to both Taiwan and Malaysia. That will give us the opportunity to visit old friends and some Rotary Clubs I did not visit yet :-). We are looking forward to going back there. We have an ambitious planning in terms of visiting friends so big fun ahead and it will be a romantic 10 days just Isabelle and I while my big boys will take care of the house!

When we’ll be back from Kuala Lumpur, I will turn a new page in my life and career by starting a new challenge, moving to The Hague… I am so glad to embrace that change (details will follow… keep an eye on my LinkedIn account). For sure that will be a new adventure, even if I would not call this location exotic and that I’ll be back in my village for the week-ends, I am truly excited to have that new experience and learning opportunity! I hope my NL colleagues will help me settling in The Hague… some more fun ahead!!!

Hope you still enjoy reading this blog and share with me the positivism and my progress against the leukaemia, it is now 7 years (November 20^th actually) that I have been brought to the ER in my local hospital read the first chapter if you did not yet… From time to time I go back in that reading and realise the journey I am going through and feel blessed having a fantastic family, great friends, medical staff and colleagues supporting me. For sure I would not be there without you being around me!