Floor Van Liemt
On the last day of 2021, Floor lost her battle against cancer. She was 24.
Floor was at ‘home’ with us between 2013 and 2015. In her yearbook message, she quoted ‘Rather Be’ by Clean Bandit, a song which I am sure will strike a chord for many of those who knew her.
Floor was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer in December 2017. Her case was so exceptional that doctors called her a white raven, an extremely rare, blue-eyed, breathtaking, extremely intelligent bird who, like Floor, suffered a genetic mutation.
“Witte raaf’’ therefore became the title of the book that Floor wrote. In the book she describes how she copes with her illness, and writes about her thoughts, childhood, future, hopes and expectations. Knowing it could be over at any moment. She called being struck by lung cancer at such a young age extreme bad luck. “So unique, it actually makes no sense at all. Just bad luck.”
After leaving Atlantic College, Floor studied art history and shortly after the diagnosis also resumed law studies. She hoped for a miracle, because for a long time the drugs and experimental treatments seemed to keep her afloat.
Floor also blogged about her illness for NRC Handelsblad and inspired many young people who were also affected by cancer. With her foundation F|Fort Foundation, she committed herself to young adults who, just like herself, have cancer. She explained why she believes more attention should be paid to the mental well-being of young patients.
Floor was an accomplished artist and writer. Together with photographer Loet Koreman, she made a photo book in which they captured eleven young adults with cancer. The whole of art photography, text and design invites the reader to visit a world that is insufficiently known to most people.
Floor always had an artistic soul and a wonderful way with words. In her art teacher’s words, Lucy Male, “Floor was a wonderful, fun loving, creative, adventurous, kind and beautiful person. Particular pieces which I remember she created included a wonderful dress and corset outfit, worn by one of her African friends, made out of many packs of cards for the fashion show and a beautiful yarn chandelier brought to life with packets of fairy lights hung in the Arts Centre.”
Floor made many friends at the College who all rallied around her since 2017. She was really loved.
The image of the white raven will stay with us all. It was already with her at the bottom of page 87 of her 2013-2015 yearbook page.