Hilarious

More than four million euros in donations have been collected since the initiative was founded in 2000. This has enabled them to distract many children with cancer and their families on oncology wards and take their minds off things - even with therapies for the soul. Because laughter almost always helps, even in hospital. Unfortunately, the hospitals themselves do not have the money for this. Whether on the climbing wall, during a children's game or during a flying visit by the hospital clowns. The bright red clowns are particularly popular with the little ones and really shake up the dull ward routine. Dressed in colorful costumes, with a guitar and horn at the ready and funny sayings on their lips, they whirl through the hospital corridors and children's rooms. Especially when a chemo infusion is dripping through the little bodies to defeat a malignant cancerous octopus, they provide amusement and comedy at the bedside. They make the children's eyes light up, but also touch them emotionally, so that tears can roll down from time to time.
 

Direct help for rays of hope

As with Dr. Henriette Karg, when she remembers her little patient Johannes. Petite and delicate, with alabaster-white skin and a terminal cancer tumor. He was in and out of hospital for many months - with many ups and downs. He was not even ten years old when he received the terrible final diagnosis and knew that he would lose his battle against cancer. The doctors stood around his bed like a white cloud on a dreary fall day. Metastases everywhere. Nothing more could be done.

With this final diagnosis, Johannes set himself his last goal. Before he died, he wanted to learn to play the piano. An undertaking he had dreamed of in the future. A last wish that was fulfilled by the Children's Cancer Aid team. They were able to witness how he tapped the keys with joy and focus for hours every day. Until he was able to play the piano within a very short time and they produced a piece of music for a Christmas CD together with him. Everyone was impressed, even when they learned a short time later how he divided up his personal "treasures" in his handwritten will and bequeathed his pocket money to Dr. Karg, and thus to the children's cancer charity.

Just as moving are the stories of young people who are now able to look to the future with health and optimism after being diagnosed with cancer. In every moment of this emotional state of emergency, the focus is not only on securing basic medical care, but also on psychological and financial support as well as social counseling. Loss of earnings, home renovations, therapies, care assistance, family time-outs or even the fulfillment of a last wish for a child. The Children's Cancer Aid team provides unbureaucratic support in all matters with an almost incomparable personal commitment.

Every penny counts!

All these things that make life easier, more beautiful and more colorful would not exist if the team did not collect immense sums of money for them. Every cent counts and goes directly to where it is needed. Smaller amounts from private individuals as well as generous company cheques, income from self-initiated benefit concerts or organized Christmas markets as well as from the Füssen flea market, where the work is of course also done on a voluntary basis. But that's not all: the Allgäu Everyday Helpers also provide support in the fields of medical technology, occupational therapy and psycho-oncology. "After all, the development of effective treatments is still a major challenge and very complex. From basic research to care structures," adds Dr. Rainer Karg. “Even though the chances of recovery are very good today and four out of five young cancer patients out of around 2,200 children and adolescents who develop cancer every year can be cured. Every euro can help.”

A man of soft tones

The unique success story of Kinderkrebshilfe Königswinkel e.V. cannot be expressed in figures alone and is also difficult to put into words - the countless laudators and affected families agree on this. They are united by their great gratitude. Even though the initiator and driving force behind the association has already received many awards for his life's work, Dr. Rainer Karg is a man of quiet tones. He doesn't need a big stage or much fanfare. Because he knows that cancer aid and fighting cancer is teamwork. It takes a lot of people, commitment and euros.

Teamwork makes the dream work

The couple knows that cancer aid and the fight against cancer only work as a team. It takes a lot of people, commitment and euros. They are a dream team, both professionally and privately. For these two people of heart, volunteering is a question of attitude, which is unfortunately increasingly lacking worldwide. Voluntary work for the common good has become rarer. In times of ego bubbles and self-perspectives in social networks and maximum consumption, it seems that everyone is out for themselves. But there is no good unless you do good yourself and the world is everyone's business. Without the people who work locally without pay, our homeland would just be a beautiful place. They deserve our appreciation, day in, day out, because it holds society together and enables a multitude of positive perspectives.