For more than five years, Tim Lobinger has been battling with insidious leukemia, but now he is at the end of his journey. Actually, it’s a small miracle that he hasn’t succumbed to the disease yet. However, the former pole vaulting champion does not give up, a smile often crossed his face during an interview with Bild. “Every day that I can live and spend with my family is worth fighting for,” says the 50-year-old athlete.
“There is no longer any treatment for me. My cancer is too aggressive,” describes the indoor world champion from 2003, whose personal record is exactly six meters.
He has been fighting leukemia since 2017. It all started with joint problems, visible dents appeared all over his body. On the legs, on the shoulders, on the head. After several chemotherapy treatments and a stem cell transplant, it appeared that he had overcome the malignant disease.
But two years ago, the insidious rival returned. “In February, the doctors told me that death was near. I should make arrangements, organize a funeral and say goodbye to my loved ones. It was difficult to talk to my children,” he recalls the most difficult moments of his life.
He is weak, with his almost two meters, he weighs only 66 kilos. Nevertheless, he bravely resists the disease. Going game by game is one of the dumbest phrases in sports, but in his case, that kind of approach really helps him. He celebrated his fiftieth birthday on September 3 with balloons and waffles. “Living that day was one of my milestones,” he nods.
Another of them was supposed to be a significant day for Okkert’s six-year-old son, who started school for the first time on September 13. However, Lobinger was unfortunately absent because the day before he had to go to the hospital again – for emergency stomach surgery.
This year alone, he has already spent more than 150 days in the hospital. “That’s not real life. Life worth living happens outside.”
And yet she smiles: “It’s worth fighting for every day that I can live and spend with my family,” she explains.
At the same time, he is trying his best to encourage other cancer patients. “There are always small ways that allow you to gain strength and not lose hope,” she adds bravely.
