A man dying from brain tumour had one more thing to fulfill on his bucket list. Frederik van den Broek wants to leave a gift to his fellow cancer fighters by creating a what is believed to be the most advanced app for cancer patients, of which he served as the guinea pig.
The late van de Broek, who died at aged 41 last month is the creator of MindApp available for both Android and iPhone users. The app allows users to check upcoming appointments, to help remember their primary caregivers, and to guide their administration of multitudinous pills. It allows patients to track other records like when they experience epileptic seizure and to communicate to the physicians without visiting the hospital.
A few days before he passed away, he said in an interview with AFP that the app was "born out of frustration."
"The hospital gave me a printout of appointments, which medicines to take, and when, as well as a diagnosis of how long I had to live...I lost the printout within an hour. These things happen when you've lost a large part of your brain and your short-term memory has gone to pieces," Broek said in an email interview.
The Dutch man was truly devoted to his work not only by designing features and picking colours, but also by volunteering himself as the guinea pig.
Jaap Reijneveld, an Amsterdam's Free University Medical Centre neurologist, who helps developing the app cited that patients have a massively complicated treatment schedule, and the app, the most advanced to date, will help them remember things, but more importantly give constant feedback for them as doctors. He added that brain cancer patients ussually have changes in their behaviour and memory loss and this app would help determine their medical records.
The app has four sections. First, an appointment calendar that updates once the hospital confirms. Second, an alarm that reminds patients to take the pill and is turned off after. Third, a daily logbook that allows user to note progress or record incidences like seizures of which doctors are able to access once info is updated. And fourth, a feedback section that permits doctors to give immediate instructions based on the logbook.
"Some people go on a world cruise or make a 'bucket list' when they hear they're going to die. The MindApp is my bucket list," Van den Broek said.
