I just learned about this an hour ago.
For those who didn't know him, Daan was a long-time member of this community (handle
Dukie) and an alumni of CGW #1 and #5. He went dressed as Dr. Evil for CGW #5, so some people may remember seeing him there. He'd been struggling with cancer since late 2009 or early 2010 and had gone through multiple rounds of chemo which proved ineffective, so his passing wouldn't likely be a big surprise to those who knew him.
Last time I saw him was in Nov 2010, when about a dozen of us from CGW #5 went ziplining downtown. Daan actually got stuck partway down the line and had to be retrieved by one of the staff. He took it in good strides though.
That same day I remember how he demonstrated that he could get lots of spontaneous hugs just by smiling and putting his arms out when people walked past him. It worked about 50% of the time, and he brightened many people's days. He shared a lot of love with people during his life.
Daan also contributed the story for this blog post:
Speedhugging: How to Go From Zero to Hugs in Under 60 Seconds
Daan joined the very first week they launched, so he was a member here for nearly 5 years. He didn't post often, but I know he especially enjoyed connecting with many CGWers. He last visited the forums just 6 days ago. He was 29 years old.
I will surely miss him, although I expect he'll soon be busy sharing hugs in some other dimension.
Daan's blog (Dutch) can be found here:
Groeien Voor Beginners ? Durven, mislukken, groeien
And his Facebook page here:
Daan Buckinx | Facebook