Where imagination begins, hope has a future

The power of imagination as an engine for science and hope

Imagination is a fundamental human ability. It allows us to think ahead, to imagine a future that is different from the present.
Sometimes that imagination is a dream, sometimes a conjecture, but it is always the beginning of a quest.

When we imagine something that is not yet tangible, curiosity occurs. Does what I think match what is there? Can what I imagine change the reality?
These questions form the core of scientific research. These are the first steps on a path that leads to new insights and sometimes unexpected answers.

In contemporary medicine, we are often guided by 'Evidence Based Medicine'. But what if there is no evidence yet, only a possible correlation between a disorder and a possible therapy? What if the patient's story, the real-life observation, shows us something that the literature doesn't yet describe for that specific condition?
At such moments, it comes down to: do we choose to wait and see, or do we dare to move forward, in consultation with the patient and opt for the chance of improvement?

Regardless, science has no end point; it remains an ongoing process of question and answer driven by imagination.
This game of questions, searching and answering is the basis of progress.
And because hope often arises where someone asks themselves: “what if...?” , I hope, for all people who suffer from a chronic condition, that enough doctors and scientists will continue to ask themselves this question.

Because hope is trusting that an uncertain situation will turn out to be positive...

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Jan Ost