Spotlight on Lut (Belgium)

• Born in 1952
• Living with osteoporosis
• Speaks Flemish (Dutch), French, English, and German
• Retired; used to work at a rehabilitation centre, where, by chance, she was diagnosed
• President of the Belgian Osteoporosis League (OLLO)
• On the board of the Belgian Rheumatism League
• Enjoys walking her dog, cycling, gardening.

Lut has learned from her mother to take charge of her life. Working at a rehabilitation centre, she saw first-hand what osteoporosis means when there is a fracture.

When she got diagnosed herself, she decided to do whatever she could to prevent her disease from progressing. Lut calls osteoporosis a ‘silent thief’, as it gnaws away on your bones without you noticing it, until you suffer a fracture and it’s too late to do anything about it.

Despite adhering strictly to her prescribed treatment regimen, she has so far not succeeded at stabilising her bone mineral density (BMD) score. The next BMD test is coming up, and Lut is hopeful that finally she has found a way to keep the progression of her disease at bay.

However, having an aunt who suffered vertebral fractures and lives in constant pain, Lut also has to mentally prepare for the worst case. Having a family history of osteoporosis is a major risk factor, so she motivates her daughters to get their BMD checked as soon as they reach the age of 45.

Sadly, when Lut lost her mother, it was more like losing her best friend. However, her granddaughter Louise is now the new boost that gives her strength. Lut tries to be the same rock for her daughters to lean on as her mother was to her. She is confident that her daughters will do the same for the next generation. This includes teaching them how to stop the ‘silent thief’.