Pierre was born on March 28, 1984 in Metz (France). He knew how to be gentle and upright, accommodating but firm, humble and proud, intelligent and modest at the same time. He walked straight, his feet on the ground, his head in the stars.
He followed a very promising course of study, successfully completing a bachelor's degree in linguistics, a master's degree in political sciences, and concluding with a master's degree in international politics, diplomacy and strategic negotiations on January 23, 2009 in Paris.
It was at the end of this prestigious course that his illness was diagnosed. He was seen at the Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, then in Marseille where he underwent several surgical interventions, including one lasting more than 13 hours. He was also taken care of by the Proton Therapy Center in Orsay.
However, given the development of the tumor, these treatments were unable to prevent several recurrences which resulted in compression of the brain stem, quadriplegia and aphasia which affected Pierre greatly in his last two years of life. Pierre died on June 13, 2014. We miss him, and we would love to be able to hug him again, but he remains present as a "free rider" in all the acts of our lives.
During this whole ordeal we were in contact with Marja and Hans Keulen, now deceased, and we want to honor his memory here for his help. We also thank Dr. Silvia Stacchiotti from Milan and the Chordoma Foundation, as they have been a huge support and it has helped us a lot in trying to overcome all the difficulties we have faced with Pierre.
All our gratitude goes to the Chordoma Foundation team, to Josh Sommer, Sharon Berlan, Bill, Adriane and all the others: thank you. Thank you for the support that the Foundation provides to patients and families through its network and by encouraging medical research. This fight that the Foundation is leading to make known all of the therapeutic resources possible to date is already of great importance for patients, doctors and caregivers.
In memory of Pierre: PERSEVERE to find a cure.
- Pierre's parents Marie Jo and René and family