kleinkinderen in Corona tijden

Beste vrienden / Dear friends / chers amis.

26 March 2019 we took off for our European ‘HIV & Climate bike ride’. Some of you were following through a Whatsapp group.

#CHOICES was a central word as having a choice is not a luxury! We were able to choose to ride >6500 km on our #HIV_Climate ride. Young African women, in contrast, have little or no choices in their sexual and reproductive lives. No choice to protect from HIV, to have healthy sexual lives. Similarly, biking instead of driving a car is a choice, a healthy choice. Female controlled HIV prevention tools and environment friendly mobility options are our common goal.

Since our HIV_Climate Ride EMA issued a positive opinion and in Januari 2021 WHO recommended the Dapivirine Vaginal Ring as a tool for the prevention of HIV. Progress is being made with several national authorities in Eastern and Southern Africa and this prevention tool will be soonest a CHOICE. In the same period worldwide cycling has been booming and a green deal is promoting cycling as a healthy alternative for our mobility. What are you waiting for?

So far so good, we can’t wait anymore, time for the next challenge!

2020, Covid-19 restricted a lot of our choices and in April 2021 I had (yet another) radiotherapy for metastatic oral cavity cancer. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel thanks to all of you who choose  to respect Corona rules. More specifically thanks to all the dedicated healthcare professionals that have made extraordinary efforts to save many lives.

For those healthcare providers involved in HIV care there must have been a déjà vu. Personally we were able to experience a lot of healthcare worker’s dedication and we want to show our gratitude to these care givers, many of them have become friends. Symbolically we will ride 100 km for each of these experts that have contributed to our healthy and productive life, to our well being. HIV experts: Prof H Taelman, Prof B Colenbunders, Prof N Clumeck, Prof Y Van Laethem, Dr J. Boelaert, Dr C Marcus, Prof B Gazzard, Prof J Mellors, Dr Jean Decree, Prof L Van Bortel, Prof B Hirschel, Prof A Calmy, Dr Renold-Moynier, Prof L Lynen, Prof D Vogelaers, Prof L Vandekerckhove. Cancer specialists: Dr R Soubry, Prof F Duprez, Prof P Deron, Prof S Rottey, Prof B Hendrickx. A special recognition to my colleagues researchers that have given me access to the magic DUET combo, TMC114+TMC125, that gave us (already) 15 years of undetectable virus: Paul Stoffels, Rudi Pauwels, Marie-Pierre de Béthune, Wim Parys, Brian Woodfall, Theresa Pattery, Stef Heylen, Richard Hoetelmans, Karin Van Baelen, Myriam Theeuwes and many more. Particularly Paul Stoffels made extraordinary efforts in bringing all expertise available to my hospital bed. Last but not least one cannot go through all of these without a close companion, day and night: Bieke, and our children: Griet and Karel. For all of these individuals it adds up to a minimum of 3400km to ride, sic!

35 years of living with the HIV virus and the subsequent complications have learned me a lot! Respect everybody’s choices as people might have reasons to do so. Keep life simple and savour it from day to day. Be grateful for the chances in life you get and avoid to damage future options, eg climate crisis. Value your partners ‘in crime’, nurture your close relationships.

Under this cover Bieke and myself we are about to engage in another Bike Ride. A bike ride of HOPE and CHOICE. Ending Corona and HIV, a healthy world where individuals respect each other and our planet that is our DREAM. Please find herewith an invitation to follow us on a webpagina jensbieke.reislogger.nl Our bonus will be a beautiful album with photo, daily impressions and your comments.

27 March 2021 68th birthday during radiotherapy but dreaming of the next bike challenge.

27 April 2021. Three days after the last radiotherapy session, I did my first 10km on a bike. Early June we want to start! Thumbs up …. Corona restrictions and my physic condition will determine the rest. By the time we go live I hope to see BIG improvements.

27 May 2021. ready to take off, just waiting for second life-saving Corona-vaccin and the lifting of Corona restrictions in France.

June 1, second dose Covid-19 vaccine.

June 2, Covid-19 PCR test

June 3, SARS-CoV-2 PCR test negative... 72 hours to cross the border!

The PLAN Saturday June 5 early morning start cycling a modest average of 50 km a day hoping that condition will gradually improve. 4000 km plan, see map.

Destination is our daughter’s family with the two beautiful grandchildren we haven’t seen for S0 LONG (Covid-19 oh my God). We hope to find them in St Maxime, France at the Mediterranean Sea.

We will cross the North of France via Senlis direction Paris where we follow the Seine to Fontainebleau. Here we pick Canal de Loing direction Briare on the Loire. The Loire will guide us via Nevers, Roanne and Le Puy en Vellay trying to find a heaven on earth and peaceful agroecology centre in Lablachère, Ardèche. This part, the Central Massif, will be demanding as it will be hot and many ups and downs!

We want to learn about agroecology, farming with respect for the planet, and will stay a couple of days in this arid but beautiful region. Stéphane Jansegers, son of my mentor Pol Jansegers, is active at Terre et Humanisme website: terre et humanisme 

As a teaser and a taste about the philosophy of the project: just two quotes you can find on the webpage:

'Nous n'héritons pas de la terre de nos parents, nous l'empruntons à nos enfants.' 'We do not inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children.' by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

The world is big enough to satisfy everyone's needs, but will always be too small to satisfy everyone's greed. by Mahatma Gandhi.

Stéphane will invite us also to another local initiative as described by him: L'école buissonnière, pour enfants porteurs d'handicap et d'autres pour favoriser mixité, entraide et tolérance. Ces enfants ont déjà participé à la réalisation de plusieurs "forêts-fruitières" (zie foto) Site web: ecoledanslesarbres More when we reach the spot!

From here we go West and South to follow different canyons: Gorges du Lot, Gorges de l’Aveyron and Gorges du Dourdou. We will reach Rodez next Castres, Montpellier, Apt and via the mighty Gorges du Verdon we will finally hit the Mare Nostrum. Hopefully we do not hear Bob Seger’s ‘Against the wind’ (Mistral)! Finally, we will enclose little Sofie and William in our arms. One way at least 2350 km.

The return trip will be different: via Aix-en-Provence back to the Via Rhôna up to Lyon. Not without vowing once again in Avignon our eternal l... 'Sous le pont' d’Avignon’ With a little dance ‘sur le pont’  see photo. Next towards Dijon along the Saône, to Langres along the Canal Marne - Saône and la Meuse will bring us back in Belgium. Chimay and the world known Trappist brew will be on our road back to Roeselare. Total: 4000km!

One photo, one message a day that is the promise, maybe more!

Welcome to follow us, to cheer us, but more importantly, to stay healthy, to keep our planet blossoming for the grandchildren. All comments are welcome on the blog. English, Flemish or French. A friend mentioned already: What's important isn't the road you're going, it's the trail you leave behind!

and don’t forget this Chinese wisdom: When the winds are blowing a change, some will build walls, other build windmills. 
In my own language it sounds as: Some take risks, others choose for prevention; some ride cars, others prefer the bike.

Jens & Bieke Van Roey-Vercruysse
Hugo Verrieststraat, 1 bus 21
Roeselare
Belgium
+32 468578397
@JensTMC120 

[email protected]