Board of directors

Heidi Vansevenant

Think Pink grew out of my own experiences as a cancer patient. In September 2000 I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The tumour was removed but the metastases in the lymphatic vessels are still there. I decided to use my strength and energy to do something for fellow cancer survivors. With the financial support of Samsung Mobile, the non-profit organisation Think Pink saw the daylight on 21 September 2007. Through the years I could develop the organisation as a positive prevention campaign with a clear message: don’t give breast cancer a chance. It is our aim to offer people support during a difficult period in their lives. I know that being ill is hard. Even when you are cured of the disease, issues related to it keep lingering in your mind. However, life with the disease and afterwards is possible. For me, that life is called Think Pink. This is my way of giving breast cancer survivors the courage they need to keep going.

Sandra Geens

Honorary member of the board of directors. Sandra lost her battle against breast cancer on 6 August 2013. “At the end of May 2012 I was on my way to Antwerp when you called me. I thought: ‘I hope it is not bad news’. You told me everything: about the metastases, your treatments, your fears. We both started crying. The world stopped turning for a moment. We kept in touch by phone, but only when you weren’t feeling too tired or when you felt like having a chat. I really appreciated your honesty! You were also honest with me when you called me at the beginning of September to say goodbye. You thought we would never see each other again. But you were strong, stronger than anyone had ever imagined possible. At the end of September you came to the Race for The Cure in a wheelchair. You just had to be present, no matter how hard it was. A few weeks later you looked radiant at the Think Pink Gala Dinner in Brussels. Your life continued like this for a few more months, until now… Sweet Sandra, you are a beautiful and courageous woman. An example for many. It all seems so unreal and in my heart you will have a special place for ever. We continue the fight for you! Big hug, Heidi.”

Sophie Cocquyt

If you are healthy, you have 1,001 wishes. When you are sick, you have only one wish: to be healthy again. It is certain that science can be very helpful in this respect. But I am also convinced that a warm contact with other survivors, a partner, an experience expert next to you, a soul mate, a buddy ... can also work wonders. And that is precisely why I support an initiative such as Think Pink with all my heart. Because it is so necessary!