A native of the Netherlands, Peter was successfully treated with radiation therapy at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam in 1994. After moving to the United States, Peter completed his BA and MA, worked in Western Hemisphere policy for a few years, and then joined his family’s international agricultural company. After 15 years he joined an agricultural start up focused on naturally improving soil conditions and crop production and has since created a second start up, also with a focus on environmental sustainability.
Side effects from his treatments have continued to take a toll, losing thyroid and spleen functions early on, Peter started to experience what were thought to be pulmonary issues almost 25 years post-treatment. After five years of many pulmonary and cardiac testing, and being seen by many specialists, Peter reached out to IC-OS in 2023 and found the medical literature that explained his symptoms. With access to the medical literature, he finally found a cardiology team able to understand his symptoms and diagnose him with Radiation Induced Heart Disease.
He is currently taking medication, under great care, and is serving on the IC-OS Patient Advocacy Committee. He is a very proud father of three great children, and he and his wife, Laura, work hard to manage family, work, life, and the complications and stress that can accompany a diagnosis like this. Dedicated to his family, he wants to make sure cancer survivors find the appropriate cardio-oncology more quickly than he was able to.
