What are the reasons that determined this challenge?
“I live near Belgium and I have touched or hiked the GR 5 several times. As a trekking enthusiast, I have often returned frustrated from these treks where you don’t take the time to stop and contemplate. This year, an alignment of stars combining work, health and availability meant that I was able to embark on this journey that will link Rotterdam to Menton while crossing three mountain ranges: the Vosges, the Jura and the Alps.”
Is this adventure open to everyone?
“You have to accept being alone, you have to accept the unexpected and know how to manage your emotions. But you also have to be in good physical condition and be able to adapt to the weather and complicated terrain. This challenge is accessible to everyone, but you have to prepare yourself mentally and physically.”
What is your assessment after these first 72 days of travel?
“It is positive and full of emotions. Alone, I discover myself a little too. There were ups and downs. I had three low points, without however considering giving up. There were physical problems, like this bacteria caught because of the water in the Vosges, or even a sprain. We had to find solutions…”
You also associated your quest with a cause. That of dialysis patients and organ donation. Why?
“That wasn’t the primary goal. But it would have been quite selfish to leave for 200 days thinking only of yourself. Especially since I share this adventure with my mother who is on dialysis and shares my journey with me, from a distance. Her fight against the disease and her wait for a transplant inevitably inspires me. It was also a question of thanking medicine, of doing something for it, and of acting for this science which today allows people suffering from kidney failure or disease to stay alive. That’s why throughout my trip, I raise awareness of what the France Rein association does, which helps patients and families of dialysis patients and raises awareness of organ donation.”
The weather today allows you to have a good head start on your road book. Will you stop in Menton?
“Due to the rather gloomy weather, I haven’t always been able to stop. I’m counting on a 12 to 15 day lead. If all goes well, maybe I’ll continue with a Menton-Nice trip before reaching Corsica to cross it.”
Find Esteban’s journey on Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@st_le_baroudeur. Association France Rein
Organ donation: barriers to be removed
According to a study revealed by France ADOT, 80% of French people are in favor of donating their own organs after their death. 93% find it important that their loved ones know their position on the subject, but less than one in two have spoken about it. Similarly, 1 in 2 citizens believe that organ and tissue removal is not compatible with religious funeral rites. 42% also imagine that there is an age limit for donating…
So many preconceived ideas that harm donations and explain in particular a rate of opposition to the collection set at 32% in 2023 for the Besançon region (36% in France). During that same year, 40 donors were collected in the Besançon region*, while at the same time, 96 corneas were collected in Lons-le-Saunier and 22 in Dole.
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