“We at the German Disabled Sports Association also want to see him run internationally,” says national coach Simone Lüth about Marcel, KAKS encourager.

“My name is Marcel.
I was born in 1993, six months after I was born I was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma.
I have a glass eye on my right eye and only have 2-3% vision in my left eye – that may not sound like much, but I can and have always coped amazingly well with it.

There was no problem at all in kindergarten: I played with the children just like everyone else, it was completely normal for the children.
I went to schools for the visually impaired all my life.
It was perfect for me: I was never bullied, my special needs were catered for, I had a great time at school, I was never anything special: I was treated normally.
It was the same at home: I would actually have to legally mark myself as visually impaired, but I don’t because most of my family, friends and acquaintances treat me just like any other “normal”, sighted person.
And I also do what “normal” people do: I learned to ride a bike like any other child, went to play soccer and did everything that all children like to do.
And that’s what I do now as an adult: after leaving school, I first trained as a masseur and medical bath attendant and am currently completing a second course to become a physiotherapist.
When I’m not working, I spend a lot of time on the sports field: I discovered my passion for athletics early on: I won three gold medals at the German Championships for the Disabled in Erfurt in 2017: one over 100 meters (11.48 seconds), one over 200 meters (24.67 seconds) and in the long jump (6.07 meters).
When I’m not actively doing sports, I pursue my other big hobby and attend Borussia Dortmund home and away matches.

I never knew anyone who also had retinoblastoma, never had contact with other sufferers, but I would have liked it: simply to exchange experiences, get tips, hear how others live with it.

I came across KAKS online at some point.
And somehow I was curious to meet others with the same illness.
But above all, I contacted KAKS because I wanted to tell other people that life can be just as good as it is when you don’t have the disease.
Even if it’s difficult for your family or yourself at first: you have to make the best of it and you can!”

Marcel
Encourager