Not the best year as far as my health was concerned…
As you may have read earlier, I’ve had my stomach removed on the 27th of March, so about 9 months ago. Here’s a little update on how everything’s going.
About 3 months after my surgery I got back into my normal life at work (although working from home in June) and parental leave in August and did some concerts and festivals during Summer.
Physically I recovered quite well from the surgery. One important thing that has been solved quite recently : my anemia. After nearly 2 years I now am back around the minimal level for hemoglobine after an iron infusion. It’s quite disappointing doctors always said that everything would normalize, but it didn’t. So for 2 years I’ve had to function ‘normally’ with fatigue and less than optimal physical capabilities.
Another thing: one of the wounds from surgery regularly reopened, which was very frustrating, as the doctors didn’t seem to know what to do…
On the other hand, eating and drinking was and still is quite a bumpy road. It may seem I do a lot and that everything is fine, yet at times it still is hard and stressfull. The first day of Jera On Air for instance, I couldn’t eat lunch at home and while driving from my hotel to the festival ground, I had to pull over my car because I couldn’t keep in some of the food I was eating. At the festivals it was hard to eat, not knowing if it would pass or not. Sometimes it did, although it took me a while to eat food I used to quickly eat before the stomach removal. Sometimes it just didn’t. Where another problem arises: how to eat enough calories in order not to lose anymore weight.
Today doctors told me I need another intervention to remove a polyp in what’s left of my large intestine (no surgery). Meanwhile I also got some scans to check my veins as people with juvenile polyposis may have some issues with that as well. Fortunately the full body scan was ok, but still waiting for the results of the recent MR scan of my brain.
So let’s hope 2026 will be a better year in this front.
Still got to shoot some cool artists and festivals
I am happy I could shoot some cool artists and festivals again this year: Yungblud, Queens Of The Stone Age, Will Smith, Norah Jones, Jera On Air, Cabaret Vert, …
Some data from my concert year:
- I photographed 215 artists in 2025.
- 141 bands shot for Shoot Me Again and 74 artists for Frontview Magazine.
- I shot gigs and festivals in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg.
- 10 different venues and 6 festivals
Best concerts of 2025: Yungblud at Rockhal and Comeback Kid at the Reconstruction Tour in Berendrecht.
And in 2026?
Hopefully I’ll get the chance to photograph some of the many great artists on my list: Linkin Park, Florence + The Machine, Deftones, Editors, The Kooks, Nek, Laura Pausini, Foo Fighters, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Iron Maiden, System Of A Down, …
Besides I hope to shoot plenty of sports as well.
That’s it for now. See you in 2026!
To say it with an image: cheers to the new year with Yungblud. May your year be full of love, good health and all you wish for.
