At the General Newspaper they were convinced that the Grim Reaper would have some patience with Jan van Dam. So young, so healthy and so collegial too – if that were an argument. But on April 27, a life that was just in full bloom came to an end.
‘Bad bad luck’, says Harry van Dam about this arbitrariness of death. His son had had corona in March, which was certainly not a worrying disease in that phase of the pandemic. But Jan continued to suffer from stomach and back problems. The doctor initially knows that because of corona, but the internist found the real cause. On April 6, metastatic stomach cancer was diagnosed, three weeks later death occurred.
The Van Dam . family
Jan van Dam came from a journalistic family. Uncle Kees is a reporter of the NOS News† Father Harry has a long track record at the Utrechts Nieuwsblad, various broadcasters and as a communications consultant. When he practiced the latter profession in the service of FC Utrecht, little Jan liked to dribble around in the catacombs. Love for football and interest in the big news went together early.
Mother Loes Claerhoudt had a very different background, but turned out to be a fine columnist in the local newspaper when she was struck by ALS. She kept readers informed of the disease that slowly but surely devastated her and became fatal in 2015.
Jan was almost 8 years old when the first symptoms of his mother’s illness appeared, and in a sense he also became a patient. For him this manifested itself in mental problems. Jan soon felt deprived. ‘A basic feeling of insecurity’, says Harry van Dam. With professional help, he managed to guide his son through this difficult period.
Journalism talent
When Jan van Dam finally got his life on track, his journalistic talents came to the fore. Initially he worked as a freelancer for the sports editors of the Utrecht edition of the General Newspaper† But in the last period Jan also did final editing at the central location in Rotterdam. Inquisitive and talented, according to deputy chef Martijn van Beeten of AD Sports World†
But Jan’s great wish was to become the regular reporter of FC Utrecht. Both chef and father certainly saw that happen. The love for the club was not only instilled in him from an early age, he also played football at a decent level. But the problems identified earlier also stood in the way.
Was Jan van Dam not too much of a supporter for a critical look at FC Utrecht? As proof to the contrary, Harry van Dam recalls a harsh judgment on the purchase policy. Van Beeten also did not read that in the articles that Van Dam already wrote about FC Utrecht. “He’d made that cover a long time ago.”
Funeral
So it didn’t come to that. Jan’s life, in which space had now also been created for a close relationship with colleague Lisa Ruigrok, got out of control for good. From the last conversations with his son, Harry van Dam remembers the desires that would always remain unfulfilled: the first car, the first house, the children with whom Jan could already see himself walking to school.
A large delegation from FC Utrecht was present at his funeral, as well as Leo van Veen and Marco Cabo, Utrecht football heroes of yesteryear. Next Tuesday, June 21, Jan van Dam would have turned 31. Harry van Dam: ‘And we’re definitely going to celebrate that.’