Seeing old friends again, making new connec­tions, shar­ing expe­ri­ences, and look­ing ahead together: these were the hopes that brought people with Thalido­mide damage from all over the world to Egmond aan Zee. At the offi­cial open­ing of the “Egmond Circle”, it became clear just how much connects them – and how impor­tant it is to preserve the knowl­edge built up over decades.

Inter­na­tional networking

Udo Hert­erich, chair­man of the Inter­essen­ver­band Contergan­geschädigter NRW e. V., explained what matters most to him: medical find­ings and personal expe­ri­ences should be gath­ered, docu­mented, and made perma­nently acces­si­ble. As those affected grow older, many face new health chal­lenges. Things that could once be learned with effort and managed inde­pen­dently are often harder today. All the more reason, he said, for doctors to connect inter­na­tion­ally and share their knowl­edge – includ­ing with special­ists treat­ing patients back home.

Strength­en­ing community

Lucia Feijen of the Dutch Thalido­mide asso­ci­a­tion NESOS looked ahead to the coming days: medical talks, work­shops, inno­v­a­tive aids, and prac­ti­cal solu­tions are all on the programme, along­side shared activ­i­ties. But above all, she said, it’s about reviv­ing old friend­ships, form­ing new ones, laugh­ing together, and enjoy­ing this time as a community.

A partic­u­larly quiet moment during the open­ing showed that this commu­nity also includes those who can no longer be here. To Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelu­jah”, photos commem­o­rated those affected by Thalido­mide who have passed away since 1981. A dedi­cated memo­r­ial and reflec­tion room also offers space for personal thoughts and memo­ries through­out the congress.

Thanks for the commitment

Things turned heart­felt once again when the people who had prepared the “Egmond Circle” with so much time, energy, and dedi­ca­tion were invited up on stage. There was a special surprise for Clau­dia Schmidt-Herterich: she had actu­ally preferred to stay in the back­ground, but her fellow orga­niz­ers brought her forward with­out hesi­ta­tion to thank her for her tire­less commitment.

After this open­ing, there’s much to look forward to in the coming days – new insights, in-depth conver­sa­tions, moving stories, and hope­fully plenty of shared moments of joy.