Our Visit at 'Hilfe für krebskranke Kinder e.V. Frankfurt'
A delegation of Talentor Germany was invited by the „Frankfurt Association for children suffering from cancer“ to visit its affiliated cancer research center. Talentor Germany has been supporting the exemplary work of this association for children suffering from cancer and their families for several years. We did not know though that the association also has a cancer research center in Frankfurt which is internationally known and respected.
After being welcomed by Mr. Dirk Kammertöns, Managing Director of the association, Dr. Jens-Uwe Vogel showed us around the institute and explained us the basic facts about cancer cell resarch. It was really impressive to see the positive results of the institute’s work in individual treatments of cancer patients. Even in the 70s and 80s, when a child was diagnosed with cancer, this meant that it had practically no chance to survive. Today, the long-term survival/healing rate is almost 80%. What was difficult for us to understand was the fact that – inspite of verifiable successes – the saving of a human life depends to 100% on private donators and that the institute does not receive any state subsidy.
Heike Dommsch (member of the management board of the association) saw us through the tour and introduced us to her daughter Annemarie who really left a deep impression on us by explaining the situation from the point of you of an affected person. After a relapse, Annemarie is now in a rehabilitation phase and participates in the youth group that also belongs to the association. She told us that being supported by a psychologist at the teaching hospital Frankfurt who was paid by the association was of great importance to her. The information that there is no established post for a psychologist within the child cancer department at the hospital and that the psychologist is paid by the association too, was also news and a mystery to us.
After a successful rehabilitation Annemarie would like to start an apprenticeship in the association, we wish her good luck and lots of success! We would also like to stress the point that the institute is involved in international research projects and that the association supports children suffering from cancer irrespective of their nationality. Talentor International would be very glad to find more donators, private donors or intuitions, national or international, who want to support the association.
