On Friday May 13 2016 we got the message that no one ever hopes for. Our 33-year-old son Luuk had drowned in the pool at his apartment. How was it possible that our strong and healthy Luuk, who loved water sports, could drown?
After quite some time of travelling all over the world Luuk worked in Shangai for several years. But he began to dislike the life of hard work, living in the fast lane and partying in that big city. In 2015 Luuk left for Boao, Hainan, the Chinese equivalent of Hawaii. He worked hard to make his own company a success, and had a side job at the local Kiteschool. There he met Grace, the love of his life.
Luuk was a fanatic kite surfer, he swam every day, and he loved challenges like power paragliding. He became more and more conscious of life, and took an interest in yoga and meditation. That's how he got in touch with the Wim Hof (aka "the Iceman") Method. Luuk was excited about this method, it made him feel strong and full of energy. When the autopsy report showed that Luuk had died as a result of Shallow Water Blackout, the connection with the Wim Hof Method immediately became obvious.
Neither the other swimmers nor the poolboy noticed anything wrong, until they saw Luuk lying down on the bottom of the (shallow) pool.
We can all still feel Luuk's positive energy. His bright smile, his love for life, and his genuine interest in the people and the world around him. Although Luuk lived abroad the last few years, we stayed in touch with each other in an intensive and good way. Perhaps it was this distance that made us enjoy every moment we had together, and always made us have in-depth conversations right away.
Luuk lived his life intensely, and we will intensely miss him for the rest of our lives.
“Follow, follow the sun”- Xavier Rudd