On September 22, as world leaders and diplomats gathered in New York City for the General Assembly of the United Nations, a special ceremony took place at the residence of the Belgian Consul General, honoring those who have distinguished themselves in their respective economic, scientific, or cultural fields.
Amongst those honorees was our very own Annette Bakker, President of the Children’s Tumor Foundation, who received the title ‘Officer of the Order of Leopold’. The decoration was presented to Dr. Bakker by the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander De Croo, on behalf of the Kingdom of Belgium for her leadership in the field of science, in particular for groundbreaking work done in the field of NF. NF stands for neurofibromatosis and schwannomatosis, a group of genetic disorders that affect over 2.5 million people worldwide.
Other honorees at the ceremony included leaders in business and the arts, including: the former CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlos Brito; Founder and CEO of Galileo Global Advisors, Georges Ugeux; psychotherapist Esther Perel, and artist Marie-Paule Martin.
The ceremony received much attention in the European press, links are listed below.
Congratulations to Annette Bakker for this well-deserved honor, for a life dedicated to helping patients and advancing cures. When she says, we’re going to ‘End NF’, we know she means it. And now, so do people across the globe! Special thanks to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Prime Minister of Belgium, and the Belgian Consulate General in New York.
Brussels Times (English)
Knack (Dutch)
La Libre (French)
RTL (French)
