On World Lung Cancer Day, August 1, 2026, a 40-year-old former general practitioner from Panningen, Marianneke Bout-Boertien, shared her story of living with incurable terminal lung cancer.
Her ordeal began on January 28 when she coughed up blood. A week later, tests confirmed metastatic lung cancer.
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Bout-Boertien, a mother of three young children, quickly transitioned from being a healthcare provider to a terminal patient.
The diagnosis left no hope for recovery, forcing her family to face her eventual death while adapting to her ongoing treatments.
“The ball starts rolling from then on and a week later it was clear that I had lung cancer, and that it had unfortunately also metastasized.
It was also immediately clear that there was no prospect of recovery. That has a huge impact,” she said.
“I have a family with three children and a husband. They are then told that their wife and mother is going to die.
That is quite severe. The whole life then stands still,” she added.
Her parents live next door and help support the family during her prolonged hospitalizations.
Although her health has recently stabilized, she continues to have open conversations with her children about her terminal status.
“Especially the conversation with the children was very severe. That you tell them that you have cancer and that you will not get better.
That was simply terrible,” Bout-Boertien said.
“Now we are six months further and the situation is quite stable. I am getting more and more energy,” she added.
