Headline: A Farewell to Frank: Luc van de Wiel Remembers His Best Friend
Subheadline: Their Friendship: A 35-Year Journey from School to Hospice
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presence of causing cancer has been curtailing the chemistry in their bond.
It was on a school trip in 1983 that Luc van de Wiel (58) from Son and Breugel first met Frank Lintel. Little did they know then that they would go on to share 35 years of friendship, filled with laughter, shared secrets, and mutual support, until cancer cruelly separated them.
"September 3, 1983, in Reusel," Luc recalls, "We were in a café playing pool. There was Frank, and that was the start of it." From that moment on, the two were inseparable, sharing a unique sense of humor that set them apart from their peers. They bonded over their mutual admiration for the eccentric comedy duo, Koot and Bie, and their creation of a bumbling politician character.
Their friendship deepened over the years, though it wasn’t always intense. After graduating, they saw each other less frequently, but the quality of their time together made up for the quantity. "We had this running gag," Luc remembers, "Whenever we saw each other, it was like we’d never been apart."
In 2011, during a holiday in Greece, Luc and Frank decided to take their friendship to the next level. "I felt safe enough to bring it up," says Luc. "I wanted more depth in our friendship. And it turned out Frank had been thinking the same thing." Frank, a social butterfly who worked with children with special needs, was the polar opposite of Luc’s reserved nature, making their friendship all the more precious.
Yearly holidays together became a staple, but in 2014, Luc’s new relationship put an end to that tradition. Despite Frank’s protests, Luc’s new love stole him away from their annual getaways. When Luc got married, Frank stood by his side as a witness.
A year later, in 2017, Luc returned from a vacation with his wife to find Frank with some devastating news. "He said he had to tell me something," Luc remembers. "He had gone for tests and they found out he had lung cancer, with metastases." The hopeful cheer that once filled Frank’s life was suddenly replaced by grim reality.
Yet, despite the somber diagnosis, the two Friends carried on, buoyed by their bond. They went out for dinner, shared laughs, and discussed their favorite movies. Even as Frank’s health deteriorated, they maintained a sense of normalcy, with Luc visiting him often.
Frank fought bravely, but in 2018, after a long battle, he passed away at the age of 51. "The moment he was gone, it was as if a part of me went with him," Luc says. "It’s hard to describe the emptiness. You think you’ll get used to it, but you don’t."
Even now, years later, Luc still misses his best friend. Their friendship was a rare one, a bond that transcended time and circumstance. It’s a reminder that, sometimes, a simple "I love you" can mean the world.
The photograph of Luc and Frank, taken during a reunion of their old school, The Newmancollege in Breda in 2005 (Privé foto), serves as a poignant reminder of the times they shared and the years they lost.
This article was published in collaboration with [[Omschrijving]]
