112 days on the road to raise awareness about sepsis prevention

The start will take place on Whit Saturday on Basel’s market square. From there, Roger van Klaveren’s route will take him via France and Spain to Playa del Inglés on Gran Canaria. In 112 days, the 54-year-old from Basel wants to cover around 1,400 kilometers on foot with prosthetic legs, a further 1,000 kilometers by train and bus and 1,300 kilometers by ferry. The most direct route was not always the decisive factor in his planning, but rather a route that is as flat as possible and easy for him to do.

In 2023, Roger van Klaveren developed sepsis with multiple organ failure following a perforated bowel. He was placed in a medically induced coma. To save his life, both of his lower legs and parts of several fingers had to be amputated. Since then, he has also been living with a colostomy.

The fact that van Klaveren can set off on a 112-day journey from Basel to Gran Canaria three years later is therefore anything but a matter of course. “I don’t want to prove anything,” he says. For him, the journey is not a sporting competition, but a journey that he is taking at his own pace.

The Basel native wants to use the project to encourage others. “I want to show that you can look forward again after a serious crisis.” This requires willpower and the willingness to move forward step by step. Gratitude is also part of it for him: “Be grateful for what you have.”

Through this walk, van Klaveren hopes to raise awareness about sepsis. Many people still don’t know enough about it, even though sepsis can develop rapidly and every minute counts. He wants to help ensure that sepsis is discussed more widely and that its warning signs and urgency are taken more seriously.

From personal experience, he knows how quickly an infection can spiral out of control and how devastating the consequences can be. In sepsis, the body reacts so uncontrollably to an infection that tissues and organs are damaged. Precisely because the early signs are often difficult to interpret, sepsis is not always recognized immediately. Roger van Klaveren’s story is therefore intended not only to encourage others but also to draw attention to this often underestimated disease.

The Walk is a personal initiative organized by Roger van Klaveren on his own initiative. The Swiss Sepsis Program is supporting the campaign with its own coverage and hopes to help raise awareness of sepsis and the perspectives of those affected. Roger van Klaveren is a member of the patient and family group of the Swiss Sepsis Program. The group brings the perspectives of sepsis survivors and their families into the program’s work.