When it is reported that a public figure has been struck by serious illness, it may often be more prudent to keep the information more private, out of the concern for the person and his family. But in this case it seems fully appropriate to make an exception. Mads Hansen is known to many of you who follow international top handball as a young, talented referee, who has quickly reached the top level together with his partner Martin Gjeding. They were in the Olympic Games 2008, they handled various World and European Championships and more recently the PanAmerican Championships, They were nominated for the Men’s World Championship next month but sadly they will not be there.

Last month, soon after Mads had lent his name to a campaign for cancer, ironically it was discovered that he had himself been hit by this illness, in the form of lymphoma. Courageously, Mads and his wife Marianne started dealing with this situation in an open way, using it to bring further attention to the need for public support for this often devastating illness. At first, the diagnosis gave reason for pessimism, but thankfully further examinations gradually turned this around, so that the prognosis is now considerably more optimistic. Mads has left the hospital and is undergoing chemotherapy.

Those who have followed Mads on the handball court, as I have had the opportunity to do, know that he has a great personality, always dealing with the players and coaches in a constructive manner, ready to handle hectic situations with a disarming smile. It is clear that he enjoys the task and that he is focused on supporting the teams on our sport in the process. It is fortunate that he has this attitude, because he will now need it to fight his illness in a positive spirit and with the same energy that he has always displayed in the handball matches. Being a cancer survivor myself, I know how much depends on contributing with everything that your own mental and physical capacity has to offer.

So when we are now finding ourselves in what for most of us is our main holiday season, normally in a happy mood together with family and a lot of expectations for the New Year that is awaiting us, I would ask you to join me in thinking about Mads and his family. If you know him, by all means contact him by mail or Facebook or whatever, as a way of showing him your support and wishing him a good recovery. And why not consider the idea of spending some money in the form of a contribution to the fight against this illness or for some other worthwhile cause; there is always someone or something that needs and deserves our support, when we are otherwise inclined just to think about ourselves.