Bart de Graaff
Encyclopedia
Bart F. de Graaff was an influential Dutch
television presenter and creator, as well as the founder and chairman of the public broadcasting network BNN.
Because of a car accident in his youth, De Graaff suffered from serious renal failure
for most of his life. This also caused a growth disorder which made him look like a twelve-year old boy. In his career as a television presenter he often used this fact to his advantage. In 1997 he founded a public broadcasting network, Bart's News Network (BNN). After his death, it was renamed to Bart's Neverending Network. Targeted at a youthful audience, the network quickly became known for its sometimes provocative programming..
At the end of 1997 De Graaff received a donor kidney
and was for a time able to live a relatively normal life. In 1999 the kidney
was rejected
and his health deteriorated quickly. Bart De Graaff died in May 2002, 35 years old.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
television presenter and creator, as well as the founder and chairman of the public broadcasting network BNN.
Because of a car accident in his youth, De Graaff suffered from serious renal failure
Renal failure
Renal failure or kidney failure describes a medical condition in which the kidneys fail to adequately filter toxins and waste products from the blood...
for most of his life. This also caused a growth disorder which made him look like a twelve-year old boy. In his career as a television presenter he often used this fact to his advantage. In 1997 he founded a public broadcasting network, Bart's News Network (BNN). After his death, it was renamed to Bart's Neverending Network. Targeted at a youthful audience, the network quickly became known for its sometimes provocative programming..
Organ donation
Organ donation is the donation of biological tissue or an organ of the human body, from a living or dead person to a living recipient in need of a transplantation. Transplantable organs and tissues are removed in a surgical procedure following a determination, based on the donor's medical and...
and was for a time able to live a relatively normal life. In 1999 the kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
was rejected
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
and his health deteriorated quickly. Bart De Graaff died in May 2002, 35 years old.