Page 142 - Magnesium-based supports for stem cell therapy of vascular disease - Mónica Echeverry Rendón

APPENDICES
Additionally, I would like to thank all the CIDEMAT professors who, with their smiles and words of encouragement, motivated me to continue forward, Prof Juan Guillermo Castano, Prof. Maryory Gomez, Prof. Francisco Bolivar, Prof. Jorge Calderon and all my colleagues who in one way or another supported me in the pending progress of this proj- ect, to Nathaly Arias, Sara Aguilar, David Quintero, Oscar Galvis, Adrian Tamayo, Sebastian Gomez, Tiffany Marin, Paula Montoya, Carolina Villada and Carolina Ramirez.
I would also like to thank the PECET Group for their support, which in a neutral and completely open way allowed me to use their facilities for the first biological validations of the material. I especially I would like to thank Prof. Sara Ma- ria Robledo, also a co-supervisor of this project who has been my academic mom and who for more than 15 years has worked by my side despite my absences and my stays outside of Colombia. Sara, it's amazing to see how time passes and our relationship grows stronger and stronger each day. Thank you because you were my inspiration and model to follow as a researcher; strong, with character and criteria to open up a field in a male dominated, and sometimes exclusive discipline. Thank you because you always taught me that there is not a problem big enough for us, yet. I think this is a perfect moment to remind you how much I admire you and appreciate you. Also thank you also to my colleagues Victoria Ospina and Yulieth Upegui.
At the University of Groningen, I was also very fortunate, joining the the CAVAREM group with many very special people. One of them was Prof. Guido Krenning, whom I admire for his intelligence, self-confidence and presence. I had the opportunity to work directly with you, this allowed me to I discover how warm, cooperative and open you are. "Mr. always right", thanks for the support, the words of encouragement and the discussions about the future. I think you are a very complete and exemplary person from a personal and professional point of view and it would be an honor for me to continue working with you. Thank you for your participation in the project, I think that with your contribution you gave me yet another perspective from which I learned a lot. Next, I want to thank Ghazale Hajmousa, upon my arrival in the Netherlands you helped me immensely in my integration into Dutch culture. I will always remember you with gratitude. Thanks to Maroesjka Spiekman, the lioness of the herd, thank you for the role you played in making sure CAVAREM went beyond work. The “Friday drinks”, forcing us to get out of the monotony of work, to learn to know each other as colleagues and friends, and to dance the night away. Thank you to Byambasuren Vanchin for your pure nobility and joy, loving you is easy and almost instantaneous. You know how much I admire you and I hope that one day, life will give us a chance to meet again. To Marloes Sol, my paraninf, our friendship was not instantaneous, our first days were rocky, however with time we were able to break down the walls between us and develop this beautiful, everlasting friendship. Thank you for allowing me to share so many beautiful moments with you. You are always welcome in Colombia! Thanks to Joris van Dongen with whom I shared the office and laboratory day by day. Joricito (you can read choricito) you know how important you were to me and how much fun we had to- gether, thanks for the card games (that of course you always lost), for the good times at congresses, for the long days finishing experiments, the gatherings at Mr Mofongo and for being an accomplice in practical jokes. I have no doubt that life is waiting for you with thousands of opportunities and as a very intelligent and disciplined man your future will be successful. Thanks to Jolien Fledderus, your sympathy is as great as you. I really enjoyed your company in the last few months while we shared the office. Thanks to Ana Maria Almonacid for her words of encouragement and our ‘spanish’ gatherings were we had a chance to disconnect and feel more at home. Thanks to Fernando, Oh sorry, to Francisco Drusso Martinez because even though we only shared a month together, I felt as if I had known you all my life. Your stupid jokes and satirical comments injected a funny energy to my last days at the UMCG. I definitely think we didn’t have enough time!!! I also want to thank my other colleagues with whom I shared less but who coincide in time and space, Vicenzo, Gabriel, Xenos Lysane, Tacia and the masters students who passed through the group, Ruud, Vincent, Paul, Heinze, Cinthya , Lian and Naomi with whom I surely shared more than a simple coffee in the coffee room. Thank you to Qing Chen the new acquisition to the office, beautiful, funny, sincere and direct. And especially I want to thank my master students Kirsten Muizer and Brina Stancic.
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