Tanja

Tanja, born 1986: Retinoblastoma has always been a big issue in my family, as my mother is also affected. Unfortunately, nobody knew at the time that it was hereditary, as my sisters were born perfectly healthy before me. Some people noticed early on that there was something wrong with my eyes, but it took a long time before I was diagnosed and by then the baby had already fallen into the well. In November 86, my mother and I were sent to Leipzig University Hospital, because that was where the specialists were based in the GDR at the time. However, all help came too late for my left eye and it had to be removed. Radiation treatment was able to save about 10 percent of my vision in my right eye.

I then went to a normal crèche and a normal daycare center and I also completed elementary school with people who could see normally. From the fifth grade onwards, I went to a school for the blind and visually impaired and successfully completed my secondary school leaving certificate there. As the school was about 300 km away from my home, I went to the associated boarding school – a great time!!! When it came to training, I decided to do it again among people with normal vision. It wasn’t always easy, but I managed to get a good degree. But bullying was a big issue, especially at vocational school. I’ve been completely crazy about dogs since I was a toddler, so after completing my training and doing a few internships and seminars with dog trainers on the side, I went on to study to become a dog training consultant and then became self-employed.

After several moves across the country and as far as the Netherlands, I have now been living with my husband, my son and our 2 large dogs for almost 6 years, almost back in my home country. My home is the beautiful city of Rostock and I live 3 km from the Baltic Sea.

Our son Teo was born on 14.08.17 and we had a blood test done straight after the birth and received the diagnosis: our child is affected.
We then went for regular examinations, initially here at the university in Rostock until the sentence we were so afraid of came on 20.12.17: “We’ve discovered something”.
That same evening we went to the Charité in Berlin and our son was lasered 3 times in 3 months, the tumor was tiny and it was enough.
We still go to the Charité regularly but have been tumor-free since February 2018.

By chance, I came across the Retinoblastoma group on Facebook and then quickly found the foundation. We also have an Elli living with us and she always accompanies us to Berlin and she seems to be a real lucky charm. I’ve been thinking about becoming an encourager for a long time, but unfortunately I kept putting it off until the doctor from the Charité got me thinking about it again. And here I am.

This is my story and I’ve really tried to keep it short, but sometimes I’m just a blabbermouth. I would like to encourage and support affected families.

Encourager
Tanja

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