It's not an easy road – but the story must be told. The phenomenon of taste alteration is still entirely unknown to many. Through HungerNdThirst I want to create awareness for taste alteration. People do not realise how big this problem is. I didn't know it myself until I got sick in 2012.

Looking back, I have sometimes felt guilty and sad about my own ignorance. I worked in the health care sector, no less.

There is no other disease that affects everything like cancer. Everything is affected. Only in your sleep is there peace, if you manage to sleep at all. It is a lonely disease. You don't want to burden your surroundings, your loved ones, with all your worries and doubts. The fact that, for example, the food doesn't taste good is secondary to the fear of whether you're going to make it.

Proper nutrition is so important in the process and in cancer treatment. Good nutrition makes your body stronger and is also a means of connection. Eating together is a form of mental support. But when you have that nasty, iron-like taste in your mouth, eating becomes more and more difficult. And what do you say to your friends who have cooked very nicely, but it all tastes the same? Before you know it, you find yourself in a kind of isolation. The idea for the HungerNdThirst Foundation was born out of my own experiences and struggles.

We are now working to improve the quality of life of people with cancer. We are also working on practical solutions to improve the perception of taste. That is so important.
To make people realise how big the impact is when nothing tastes good to them anymore, we developed ATE (Awareness Through Experience) Cookies. These cookies literally let you experience what it's like when your taste is disturbed. Not an indulgence, but a means to create awareness. Sharing our knowledge and experience of taste disruption is important for cancer patients and their loved ones, but also for healthcare professionals, researchers and nurses.

Awareness and research are important pillars for the foundation.

From the start of HungerNdThirst, we have been internationally oriented and have several cooperation agreements with partners in Europe and the United States. With like-minded people we can work on our four pillars: awareness, research, education and support. From product development based on scientific research to developing recipes for cancer patients, with HungerNdThirst we want to work across the board to improve the quality of life of cancer patients.