Welcome to the Child Cancer Foundation – Just BEAT it. A Berner Belenux initiative. Berner Produkten, Berner Belgien and Berner Luxembourg are whole-sale companies that supply fastening techniques to the construction and automotive industry.

In the past, Berner has supported all kinds of good causes. We are “experts with passion” and often show that we are also “experts with a heart”. This time, we will support Child Cancer foundations in Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg for 18 months.

We chose for the fight against childcancer because, unfortunately, a couple of Berner co-workers are currently experiencing it first hand and know what it means when your child is struck by cancer. Besides, looking at people around us, we all can imagine what this means and the impact cancer has on the young patients and their families.

Thanks to new genetic research, scientists are reasonably certain that new treatments can be developed in order to cure child cancer more often and provide more “convenient” treatments. It would offer children with cancer a better quality of life during and after treatment. What does it take to make that happen? Extra money would help! More than 95% of existing foundations merely focus on all types of cancer among adults. It is much more rare for a child to develop cancer. Thank God! At the same time, this is the very reason foundations don't focus on child cancer in particular. Renewed research on child cancer requires a specific approach that is geared toward specific genetic characteristics of child cancer. VZW Child Cancer Foundation in Belgium, Kika in The Netherlands and Kriibskrank Kanner Foundation in Luxembourg, are asking for extra support for these types of research.

First: It's every parent's worst nightmare. Your child getting a serious illness and having him go through extensive treatment. Then having to helplessly watch this battle of life and death. Having to put your faith in medical science, which promises to do everything in its power to make your child better. Two: kids with cancer. Confrontational.words. It always happens to other people. Not you. Three: Dani Ruwette, son of Raymond and Bianca. Their nightmare, their pain. Their 4-year old son got cancer. It always happens to other people.... Until you hear those words: "your child has cancer". Words that have such an enormous impact, turning your whole life upside down. For the Ruwette family, life came to a stop on the 27th of July, 2009. Kids with cancer. Suddenly so palpable. It leads to a candid interview on a Saturday afternoon. With Raymond. Father of his “pride and joy” . Not only feelings are exposed: there's also room for tears. Because cancer is an emotion and grief should not be hidden.

MEDICAL MERRY-GO-ROUND
“Dani hadn't been feeling well for a while now,” said Raymond, warehouse employee at Berner in Landgraaf. “He just wasn't feeling well. What went through my mind at that moment? Some type of flu or virus, something like that. Let's be honest, kids at that age can sometimes have a continuous cold. They catch all kinds of bugs at elementary school.” When the symptoms persevered and Dani just didn't seem to be getting any better, we decided to go see our family practisioner. Couldn't find anything. His lungs were clean and we went home with some medication. After numerous visits to the doctor's office, Dani's “ugly” cough didn't seem to get any better and he was starting to get short of breath. You could tell he just felt miserable. We decided to yet make another appointment at the doctor's office. Another doctor was sitting in for our family practioner. Raymond takes a sip of his coffee. He didn't trust things and referred us to a specialist at the Atrium Hospital in Heerlen. At that time, we didn't think anything of it. We were just glad he was getting a thorough check-up. We just wanted him to be fine and soon watch him play outside again. If it means another doctor has to examine him, that's fine. Until that “punch in the gut”. Doctors confirming their suspisions and confronting you with a diagnosis that you hadn't even considered before. “We think your son has a tumor”. Raymond relives that particular moment. Puts his thought into words. Loose sentenses, one cohesive story. The earth sliding down from under you at that moment! Putting you in a position where there is no turning back and all you can think of is fighting for Dani. Your life being turned completely upside down in every aspect. Not knowing what's left or right. Forward, backward, where to go? Venting, coping, your head exploding, a merry-go-round. A merry-go-round at the beginning of the long road of recovery. The very next day Dani was admitted to Intensive Care Unit at the AZM Hospital in Maastricht."

COMPASIONATE
“Dani knew he was sick”, says Raymond. “From the very first moment, he only wanted to get better. We had been very open with him. Telling him he wasn't doing well and that is was going to take a while to get better. As a parent, only one thing is important and that is knowing that you have to be there for your child, putting your own emotions to the side. A very heavy task. Being there for you sick child, coping with your own feelings, having others taking care of your child as well as focusing on the the family left at home. Here's another one that is affected by all of this. He points at Dani's older brother Milan, just a year older but with the same mischievous look on this face. A couple of days, more devastating news. The biopsie results came back from Boston. It turns out Dani has a rare tumor that affects weak tissue and an aggressive type of cancer in his left lung. A diagnosis that shifted the merry-go-round into it’s highest gear and Dani was subjected to all kinds of medical protocols. It didn't matter that it meant having to drive all the way to Amsterdam. The only thing that matters is your child. Raymond is trying to hold back tears. Of course it's hard to tell your child that he is going to be opererated, go through chemo and radiation treatments and he'll eventually loose his hair. He was so compasionate though, had a great attitude from the start. As if he accepted it. Raymond sits down on a little white bench that catches the the springtime sun for most of the day. Time for a little break. Decompose. “You know, Dani has been living in a big people world for about 9 months now. A little 4-year old boy that's so wise. Sometimes funny but then again, he's a kid. It has nothing to do with the fantastic support he has gotten from all the doctors and therapists and still gets to this day”. Raymond let's the sun warm his face for a moment, get's himself together when he sees his little bear – lips covered in lipstick from his grandma's purse – innocently making his way to his daddy's lap. Then, moments later, turning open the faucet in the backyard together with his brother and hopping back inside, ready to play a game with grandma. “See, that's what I mean! What a menace! You know, sometimes Dani even seemed stronger than us. Thank God, that's what helps us to keep going”.

STRENGHT
Raymond takes us back to the day of the operation. A risky procedure that couldn't guarantee Dani keeping his left lung and that made waiting almost unbearable. Raymond sighs. Exhaling. Relieved. “I can't tell you the feeling I had when I heard that the tumor was located between the two lungs and they wouldn't have to take out Dani''s left lung after all. His savior. So surreal. One moment, as a parent, you are totally stressed and your heart skips a beat every time the phone rings and the next moment, you watch your son eating pancakes and hotdogs. Having a good time, laughing and looking so strong that it looks as if he never went through a 5-hour operation the day before. And I'm questioning myself, who's the strong one here?” Raymond is getting serious again. Plays, seated on the white bench that still is the scenery for the conversation, with his mount. “Talking about strenght. Dani has a whopper chain. An invention of the V.O.K.K. (Organisation Parents, Children and Cancer) and absolutely fabulous. Whenever he gets an injection, a scan, a prick in his finger or what so ever he gets a bead. Last time I took the chain in my hands it was more then 4 meters long. There were over 300 beads in it. I mean. And he's so looking forward, to that reward.” Raymond switches to Milan. Dani’s big brother of 5. “Watch them run here . For him it's also very difficult. Al those moments that Bianca was in Amsterdam, he had to do without his mother, suddenly his life was so different. And if I see how Milan shows himself from the right side, on his own way doing everything to get a healthy brother back… And Bianca of course. The countless hours she, as his mother, spent with Dani, I have no words for that. Week after week, to Amsterdam, the Ronald MacDonald home, so debilitating. I challenge you to do so.”

MOUNTAIN
“After several intense months filled with stress, worries and emotions, Raymond slowly is looking forward to April 16th, the first day of Dani's radiation treatment. The day that sheds a few rays of light at the end of the tunnel. A day that allows room for other things. Raymond looks at himself. “I have changed. Call it change of perspective, becoming more easy going. Those kind of things, whatever. Luckily Dani is doing well. That's how it should be. Kids should be able to play. As far as Berner's campaign for KIKA is concerned, count me in. Either way, I want to take that opportunity, climbing the Mont-Blanc. Climbing for Dani, that is! Talking about climbing, Personally, I think Dani climbed an even higher mountain already. We'll have to wait and see if our Berner team is even capable of matching such a performance.”

Interview and text: Nicolien Bout – Switch Communicatie

We are all confronted with chalenges in our lives. Some chalenges we choose ourselves, i.e. a sports performance, weight loss, etc. Other chalenges turn out to be unpleasant and just happen to you (like dealing with cancer). We accept our chalenges for one purpose only: to eventually beat them. Join us. Let’s hope we can beat that chalenge, no matter how hard at times.

That’s why Berner chose to support this initiative and opt for the slogan “Just BEAT it”. However, this slogan doesn’t only apply to child cancer. Even if you don’t deal with child cancer in your immediate surroundings, you will have to face chalenges (big or small). Whatever challenge you are facing, Just BEAT it!

To support the fund raisers that are being organized for the fight against child cancer, Berner has created a temporary non-profit organisation called “Child cancer - Just BEAT it”, in order to preserve financial transparancy and independence. The foundation has the following mission:

The foundation “Child Cancer – Just BEAT it! will create activities to collect as much money as possible for the following foundations:
- KiKa (Nederland)
- Kinderkankerfonds vzw (België)
- Fondation Kriibskrank Kanner (Luxembourg)

The activities of the foundation, which include climbing the Mont Blanc, are aimed to maximize the cooperation between all 366 Berner employees within the Benelux during the period of 23 April 2010 through 12 September 2011.

In September 2011, the Child Cancer – Just BEAT it! Foundation will donate the proceeds of all activities to representatives of the 3 foundations. These proceeds will be used for furher scientific research in order to cure child cancer.

Information about the foundation:
Foundation Child cancer - Just BEAT it
PO Box 30034
NL-6370 KA LANDGRAAF
KvK 14131823