Tim Lobinger
Athletes thank you for your participation
Tim Lobinger has to fight cancer.
© imago/VISTAPRESS
Tim Lobinger is fighting cancer again. He now publicly thanks for the great sympathy – with a touching photo.
Tim Lobinger (49) reports from the Munich Hospital Großhadern. On a most touching photo showing him very serious sitting in a hospital chair, writes the former pole vault star on Instagram: “Thank you for the numerous messages and the encouraging words!” And he promises: “I’ll keep fighting.”
In the many added hashtags, he also encourages himself and everyone who fears for him: “#losing is not an option #nevergiveup [“Niemals aufgeben”, Anm. d. Red.] #fightcancer [“Krebs bekämpfen”] #dkms [Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei] #blood donation #family #friends #dontquit [“Nicht aufgeben”] #lifegoeson [“Das Leben geht weiter”] #happy #happiness #keep on biting #simply march,” writes Lobinger.
In February, he “was gripped by hopelessness for the first time”
In an interview with the magazine “Bunte” the ex-competitive athlete made it public this week that the disease has returned. Accordingly, Lobinger is now suffering from multiple myeloma. “Myelomas are tumors that can grow anywhere,” he explains. In January 2021 there was a boost. “Then the pain started to get worse,” says Lobinger. Then more and more visible tumors grew: “They came out on the leg, on the head, on the groin.” Seeing the cancer with his own eyes made it difficult for him to “continue to live normally”.
Despite various therapies and radiation, Lobinger continued to deteriorate physically. “Then I came home and it was only then that I really noticed: that was it,” he recalls. In February, the father of three experienced his darkest time. “It was the first time that I felt hopeless, along with panic attacks.” He still wanted to see how his little son started school and how his daughter got married in the summer. But Lobinger “had no more strength”.
“I am a fighter for myself, my family and my friends”
Suddenly the therapy seemed to work. Within a few days, his otherwise clearly visible tumors had disappeared. “A week ago the doctors said, ‘Say goodbye to everyone.’ And a week later: ‘This is now the most desirable result.'” For Lobinger, this was an “emotional roller coaster ride” that he found difficult to process.
Now he has to give his body time to recover. “Thanks to science, I’m sitting here today,” says the ex-competitive athlete gratefully. He hopes for further and new therapy options in a few years. “And if my chance is only one percent, I’ll take it. That’s what I’m counting on. I’m a fighter, for myself, my family and my friends.”
In March 2017, Tim Lobinger was diagnosed with leukemia. Through stem cell therapy, he was able to defeat the cancer at the time and remained cancer-free for almost two years.