“Approximately 50% of patients who recover from cancer still face problems like fatigue in their everyday lives. Unfortunately, physicians don’t have many ways to really help them with these issues. I investigated the effects of light therapy. Every morning, a group of (non-)Hodgkin's lymphoma survivors would wear a special set of glasses that replicate sunlight. Half of them used a bright white light, the control group used a dim white light. I expected to see a significant difference, but to my surprise, all my participants reported a decrease in fatigue after the study. One participant even said that she felt a sparkle again, a reference to the name of my study. Great news, of course, but not a breakthrough. I’m sure there will be a tricky question about that during my defense. I never expected to earn my PhD. Initially, I didn’t even want to enroll in university and worked as a radiotherapist in Leiden. I’m currently thinking about the next step in my career. I hope to be able to contribute to the care for oncology patients.”
Daniëlle will defend her thesis on March 24.
Promotors
prof. dr. E.M.A. Bleiker & prof. dr. ir. F. van Leeuwen