Inspiring Women Summer 2018

A check for 10,000 euros is presented to the doctor by the club’s President, Kanika Holloway.
Cheers and applause fill the beautiful room.
The room swells with laughter and camaraderie. Women throw back their heads and dance
fingertips on each others’ arms. The evening concludes with well wishes - promises of visits to
Spain or Germany - and a swap of business cards between the men.
As I descend the spiral
staircase into the warm glow
of the lobby, I am caught by
the beauty of a statue. A
woman - with a baby in her
arms and a child tugging at
her leg - stands in marble
between the windows of the
evening. A woman’s position
is complex – an unrelenting
desire to care for others, even
more than ourselves – but the
expression on her face is
calm, peaceful and elegant.
Arm in arm, my husband and
I step into the Antwerp
evening. I cast a final glance
at the Paleis and smile.
Inspired by the beauty of the
evening, we click our heels
towards the cathedral of the Antwerp Train Station. From here, the messages, hopes and
inspiration of the evening will be cast into the world.
"I really fall in love
with my characters,
even the bad ones.
I love getting
together with them.
They tell me what
to do; they take me
on a wild and
wonderful trip."
Jackie Collins
14