Van Kessel cycles for cancer-free kids

Tijn van Kessel had leukemia at the age of 10 and survived. But in The Netherlands where he lived, nearly two in 10 children diagnosed with all cancers don’t. His Uncle Chris was deeply impacted by the family’s experience and the horrifying statistic that his own nephew defied.

Decades later, Chris van Kessel -- the founding chair of the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences and now a professor emeritus -- is raising money to fight childhood cancer. Back home in The Netherlands, van Kessel is reaching around the globe to invite support. Earlier this month, he embarked on a goal to bicycle 10,000 kilometers in 2025 -- more than 6,200 miles -- to raise donations for innovative research. He has teamed up with the Dutch nonprofit Foundation KiKa; in Dutch, “KiKa” forms an acronym for “Cancer-free children.”

“I will be 75 years old in 2025, and I plan to cycle 10,000 km this year on an old bicycle without support, that is, a bio-driven bike,” van Kessel wrote. “The main goal is to support basic research on cancer among children. We can get the number of kids dying from cancer to zero by detecting cancer early and improving cancer treatments.”

Nephew Tijn van Kessel, now 32,  has built a website -- the Dutch name translates to “Chris Cycles for KiKa” -- to chronicle his uncle’s progress. The site tracks how many kilometers have been cycled and keeps a tally of donations. So far, the former department chair has logged nearly 500 miles, or 804 km, as of this writing to benefit KiKa.

Donors can support the fundraising effort with a single donation or donate by the kilometer. Combined donations are up to 53 cents per kilometer of support as of this writing, according to the website.

Earlier bicycle journeys also are chronicled on the website: The family’s love of cycling has taken them to France, to visit family there, and to Germany.

How to support “Chris Cycles for KiKa”

Visit the site, “Chris Cycles for KiKa,” here.  Google will translate it to English for you, or: In the far-lower-right corner, find the button that reads “Nederlands,” click on the arrow and then on the option for “English.” 

• Pledges can be made per kilometer cycled. A request for payment, based on the total number of kilometers van Kessel rides in 2025 will be sent at the end of the year. Van Kessel expects he will be able to bike 10,000 km. If everything goes very well, he said, he may even reach 12,000 km, but not more. 
• One-time donations can be made via PayPal. Van Kessel is coordinating with Foundation KiKa to have donations from his site go directly to KiKa. (Credit card donations are not accepted.)
• Van Kessel also can receive donations sent via Zelle to his U.S. telephone, (530) 219-2095.
• Those who prefer to donate directly to a U.S. bank account can contact department communications specialist Trina Kleist for information, tkleist@ucdavis.edu. In both cases, Van Kessel will ensure that donations make it to Foundation KiKa.
• You can also donate directly via the KiKa Foundation website (although instructions are largely in Dutch). The site allows for transfers directly from bank accounts.

Chris Van Kessel was trained as a biologist and agronomist in The Netherlands. In 1996, he joined what was then the UC Davis Department of Agronomy and Range Science and became chair in 2001. In 2004-05, the department merged with three other plant-related departments to form the Department of Plant Sciences. Van Kessel took the helm and chaired the new department for 11 years, retiring at the end of 2016.  He is now a professor emeritus and resides in Uden, The Netherlands.

U.S. rates of childhood cancer

In The Netherlands, childhood cancer remains the leading cause of childhood mortality, despite improvements over the past 50 years in diagnosis and treatment, according to Foundation KiKa.

In the United States, cancer is the second-leading cause of death among children, after accidents. Each year, more than 9,500 American children under the age of 15 are diagnosed with cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. About 15 percent of those children will not live beyond five more years.

Related links

• Chris Cycles for KiKa
• Foundation Kika