Showing what it means to be Tracerco - Kasper's story and the family that showed up.

There is a phrase we use often at Tracerco: Be United.

It appears in our values, in our conversations, in the way we talk about who we are as a company.

But values are only truly tested in the moments that matter most.

This week, our values were not just words on a page. They were people lacing up their trainers in Pasadena and Billingham. Whilst others reached into their pockets for a little boy they have never met, who is fighting the hardest battle of his short life.

This is the story of how the Tracerco family showed up for one of its own.

Inge, a colleague, a friend, and a mum with a fight on her hands.

Based out of our Belgium office, Inge has been part of the Tracerco family for a number of years. Professional, dedicated, warm. The kind of person who shows up fully, every time.

In November 2024, Inge’s world was turned upside down. Her son Kasper, now four years old, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer. For Inge, this was a fear she had faced before. Four years earlier, Kasper’s sister Willeke had been diagnosed with a brain tumour at just nine years old. Willeke fought, and today she is doing well. But facing it a second time, with her youngest child, took a courage that most of us can barely imagine.

Since his diagnosis, Kasper has undergone intensive chemotherapy, major surgery, two stem cell transplants, and countless blood transfusions. He has endured more than any child ever should. And yet, in Inge’s own words, he keeps smiling. He keeps dreaming. He keeps fighting.

A chance worth fighting for

The next step in Kasper’s treatment is a specialised CAR-T therapy in Rome, an innovative treatment that uses his own immune cells to target and attack the cancer. It represents a genuine chance at long-term control of the disease. A chance to simply be a child.

The treatment costs €300,000, and it is not covered by insurance. Travel, accommodation, and long-term follow-up abroad add to that burden. And the urgency is very real, Kasper is well enough to receive the treatment right now, which means the call from Rome could come at any moment. When it does, the funds need to be ready.

When Jordan, Service Delivery Manager – UK & Africa, took on the role of co-ordinating support for Inge on behalf of the business, nobody knew quite what to expect. What followed was a masterclass in what happens when a company decides to move with purpose.

A distance challenge was launched, covering the miles between our Head Quarters in Billingham and Inge’s base in Belgium. A fundraising page was shared. And then, across the Atlantic, our Pasadena colleagues heard the story and decided they were not going to stand on the sidelines.

The goal was never to be grand. It was simply to show up. To be driven not by targets, but by the belief that collective action, however small, matters.

On 29^th April, the Pasadena team walked 5k along the trail near their office under a cool Californian breeze, honeysuckle and wild berries lining the path. They set themselves a modest fundraising goal of $1,000, enough to show Inge and Kasper that even from 4,706 miles away, they were with them. To date they have raised $1,350, with a raffle to come.

Today, the UK took over. Colleagues walked in Belasis Park, hit the gym, and ran at lunchtime, adding their steps, their effort, and their heart to the global total. And when the dust settled on the Billingham challenge, the UK team had raised over £750.

Combined, the Tracerco family has raised over £750 and $1,350 in a single day, not through obligation, but through genuine love for a colleague and her little boy.

That is remarkable. In every sense of the word.

An invitation

Kasper turns five next month. He loves playing outside, driving his toy cars, and making everyone around him smile. His mum just wants to watch him blow out five candles, with nothing but childhood worries on his mind.

We are not done yet. There are a bake sale (UK) and Brisket and Turkey raffle (USA) still to come, and Kasper’s fundraising page remains open.

Donate: www.kasperzoekthelden.be

Because that is what we do at Tracerco. We show up for each other. We go the extra mile, sometimes quite literally.

Here’s to Kasper’s fifth birthday. Let’s make sure he gets there.