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Dear Colleagues, Dear Friends,
Usually the final programme of an event starts with words of welcome from the president and the local organisers and some statement about the objectives of the event and how they will be addressed.
On this occasion however we will like to dedicate our short message to two wonderful persons, who are missing from this third EAPC Research Forum: Frances Sheldon and Vittorio Ventafridda.
Frances died on 26 February 2004. For many years she had a key role within palliative care and in the EAPC, representing the social dimensions of our discipline. From the beginning, Frances participated actively in the EAPC, first as a founding member of the Board of Directors and then as a member of the Research Network. She chaired the scientific committee of the 5th EAPC Congress in London in 1999, which was a great success. We missed her when she stepped down, and along with all those who had a chance to know her, we miss her now.
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For the first time since the creation of the EAPC, its founder Vittorio Ventafridda is not present at an event of our Association.With admiration and love we think of him as our "Guru". Luckily his absence is only physical and we hope only temporary. With great courage he is struggling to recover from some serious health problems. It has indeed been very difficult to organise this Forum without his presence, advice, proposals and enthusiasm.
Our thoughts are with Vittorio, with the wish that he will return soon to support us with his experience, his knowledge and his great kindness. We trust also that his third Forum will be as successful as the two previous ones, and we know how much Vittorio loves to get positive news from the palliative care world and the way in which this gives him energy and motivation to recover from his infirmity.
Franco De Conno - Heidi Blumhuber
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