On 15th May, Amazon NL employees ran 42 kilometres from the Amazon headquarters in Amsterdam to the Princess Máxima Centre for Pediatric Oncology in Utrecht, together with Jeroen van Veen, better known as the sponsor runner. Jeroen gained national attention last year by running 10 kilometres every day in memory of his son, who passed away from cancer. His journey—how he copes with this trauma and transforms it into something positive—is documented in a film titled Sponsorloper (Sponsor Runner), which premiered exclusively on Prime Video last week.
Broader collaboration with the Princess Máxima Centre Last September, Amazon.nl announced a partnership with the Princess Máxima Centre Foundation. In addition to financial support, the partnership also included logistical and technical services for the Foundation. Throughout the year, Amazon.nl facilitate activities in the hospital to provide distraction and joy for the children and their families.
For example, colleagues from Amazon Web Services organise coding workshops twice a year, and just this February, a movie afternoon was held in collaboration with Prime Video, where Superpowers for Your Mind was screened in the hospital. Lead actors Finn Vogels and Dylan Haegens were present for a meet and greet with the children.
Raising awareness for the hospital’s work remains vital. Every year, around 600 children in the Netherlands are diagnosed with cancer. One in four children with cancer sadly do not survive.
Nienke Beek, responsible for Corporate Partnerships at the Princess Máxima Center Foundation said: “Partners like Amazon.nl help accelerate our mission: to cure every child with cancer, with the best possible quality of life. Through our various collaborative activities, we can truly make a difference for the children and families at the Máxima.”
Sponsor Runner documentary Simultaneously with the Amazon.nl run, the documentary Sponsorloper premiered on Prime Video. Created by director Jasper Mulder, the film follows Jeroen van Veen, who began running 10 kilometres every day for a year after losing his four-year-old son Kasper. What started as a personal healing journey grew into a powerful movement. Told from Jeroen’s perspective, the documentary captures the profound impact of this trauma and how he turned it into something hopeful and inspiring.
Of the documentary, Jeroen van Veen said: "The film shows in detail who I really am. Emotions I often struggle to express in words were beautifully captured by Jasper. I’m incredibly proud that the documentary is now available on Prime Video and can reach a much wider audience. Together, we show every day that no one at the Máxima stands alone, and that with support, love, and strength, so much is possible."
About the Princess Máxima Centre and its Foundation
When a child is seriously ill with cancer, there is only one goal: to cure them. That’s why healthcare professionals and researchers at the Princess Máxima Centre for Pediatric Oncology work passionately and innovatively every day to carry out research and improve survival rates and quality of life for children with cancer—now and in the future. Thanks to the support of partners and donors, the Foundation of the Princess Máxima Centre helps to accelerate its mission: curing every child with cancer, with the best possible quality of life. In forming partnerships with businesses, the Foundation always looks for ways to meaningfully contribute to that mission.
