The end of a beginning

Today, I reached Santiago de Compostela.

After cycling through France and walking the Camino via the Spiritual Route, the 🥾 1000km for CAPS 🚴 journey has come to an official end.

Standing in front of the cathedral, I feel a mix of emotions:
relief, accomplishment, sadness, exhaustion — but above all, gratitude.

Gratitude to every person who supported this journey. To those who donated, shared posts, followed along, offered encouragement, and you, who took the time to learn about CAPS and other rare autoinflammatory diseases: thank you.
Your support transformed a personal challenge into a collective effort to raise awareness for a community that is too often overlooked.

A special thanks goes to a few people in the background, first to Sharon Kensell and @KathieHolmes from Australia and New Zealand Forum for AutoInflammatory Diseases (ANZFAID), who did an outstanding job in providing me with fantastic equipment and daily support. And to my family, Camino buddy, and friends back home in Brisbane and Switzerland, who fostered my daily motivation to keep going.

Over the past weeks, I have been reminded that every journey is easier when we are not alone. Yet for many patients living with rare autoinflammatory diseases, the journey remains incredibly difficult. As I learned from patients, one of the greatest challenges is not necessarily a lack of scientific knowledge of the disease and its mechanism.
The challenge is often access – especially in Australia, and in remote areas in Europe.

It is on us to change this, to allow people timely access to diagnosis and the right treatments, so that they can live with less pain, fewer complications, and greater dignity.

Throughout this challenge, I have been inspired by the work of patient advocacy organisations such as Australia and New Zealand Forum for AutoInflammatory Diseases (ANZFAID), which continue to amplify patient voices, advocate for equitable access to care, and bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world impact.

Reaching Santiago is therefore not the end. It is the beginning 🌟

The beginning of continuing to follow my scientific passion, to contribute to research that advances our understanding of inflammatory diseases, and to use my voice to advocate for people living with rare diseases whose stories deserve to be heard.

The Camino may be complete, but the mission continues, and the next adventure is in front of us.

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