Es gibt Schlimmeres – aber das hier ist gerade unser Kampf. 
 
Hallo, 

ich heiße Sebastian. Ich bin 38, Ehemann und Vater von drei Kindern, 3 und 5 und 11 Jahre alt. Meine Frau Debbie studiert noch, ich arbeite. Wir leben kein aufregendes Leben – aber eines, das wir uns gemeinsam aufgebaut haben. Und das gerade dabei ist, aus dem Gleichgewicht zu geraten. 
 
Ende 2023 wurde bei Debbie ein bösartiger Hirntumor festgestellt – Astrozytom Grad IV. Die Diagnose ist unheilbar. Vorausgegangen war ein epileptischer Anfall, den sie hinter dem Steuer ihres Autos erlitten hatte. Nur deshalb wurde der Tumor entdeckt. Seitdem gab es zwei Operationen, Bestrahlung, Dauer-Chemotherapie und eine dauerhafte Therapie mit einem Spezialgerät, das sie täglich trägt. Sie nimmt seither ein epilepsievorbeugendes Medikament – und ich erinnere sie täglich daran. Ich bringe auch die Pflaster für ihre Therapie an – wir versuchen, die Krankheit irgendwie mit unserem Familienleben zu verbinden. 
 
Trotz all dem versucht Debbie, ihr Studium so gut es geht weiterzuführen. Sie bleibt lebensfroh, verbringt viel Zeit mit den Kindern, meistert den Alltag mit bewundernswerter Stärke. Und doch gibt es immer wieder die Momente, in denen die Krankheit sie einholt, die Belastung plötzlich übermächtig wird – und dann geht für einen Moment einfach gar nichts mehr. Das sind die Augenblicke, die für uns alle am schwersten sind. 
 
Ich weiß: Vielen Menschen auf dieser Welt geht es derzeit noch schlechter. Das macht es mir schwer, überhaupt um Hilfe zu bitten. Aber ich tue es nicht leichtfertig – und nicht für mich allein. 
 
In den letzten Jahren hat das Leben uns mehrfach hart getroffen. Meine Stiefmutter starb 2021 an multiplem Organversagen nach einer Corona-Infektion. Mein Vater acht Monate später an den Spätfolgen derselben Krankheit. 2023 habe ich mir den Unterschenkel kompliziert gebrochen – kurz danach kam Debbies Diagnose. 
 
Ich habe meine Arbeitszeit reduziert, um allem gerecht zu werden – den Kindern, Debbie, den vielen organisatorischen Dingen. Unsere laufenden Kredite und Verpflichtungen bleiben. Die Sorgen wachsen. 
 
Ich frage nicht nach Mitleid. Und ich weiß, dass jeder Euro zählt – überall. Aber vielleicht kann jemand ein kleines Stück unserer Last mittragen. Damit wir unser Zuhause behalten können. Damit wir als Familie noch Dinge erleben können, solange es geht. Nicht als letzter Wunsch – sondern einfach, weil gemeinsame Zeit kostbar geworden ist. 
 
Ich habe bewusst kein konkretes Spendenziel gesetzt. Jeder einzelne Beitrag hilft – egal wie groß oder klein. 
 
Danke fürs Lesen. Danke fürs Teilen. Und danke, wenn du uns unterstützen möchtest. 

Sebastian 
 
--- 
 
------------ 
 
There are worse things in the world — but this is our battle right now. 
 
Hello, 

my name is Sebastian. I’m 38 years old, husband, and father of three children, aged 3, 5 and 11. My wife Debbie is still a student; I work full time. We live a simple life that we built together — and which is now slowly being shaken to its core. 
 
At the end of 2023, Debbie was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor — Astrocytoma Grade IV. The diagnosis is incurable. Prior to this, she suffered a seizure while driving, which led to the discovery of the tumor. Since then, she has undergone two surgeries, radiation, ongoing chemotherapy, and permanent therapy with a special medical device that she wears every day. She takes medication to prevent further seizures. I help her remember her medications and apply the therapy patches daily — and together we try to balance illness and family life as best as we can. 
 
Despite everything, Debbie continues her studies as much as possible. She stays cheerful, spends a lot of time with the children, and manages daily life with admirable strength. But there are still moments when the illness overwhelms her and suddenly everything becomes too much — and for a while, nothing works anymore. Those are the hardest moments for all of us. 
 
I know that many people in this world are facing even worse situations right now. That’s why it’s very hard for me to ask for help at all. But I’m not asking lightly — and not for myself alone. 
 
Life has hit us hard in recent years. In 2021, my stepmother passed away from multiple organ failure following a COVID-19 infection. Eight months later, my father also passed away from long-term complications of COVID. In 2023, I suffered a complicated leg fracture — and shortly afterward came Debbie’s diagnosis. 
 
I’ve had to reduce my working hours to manage everything: our children, Debbie, and the countless administrative and organizational tasks. Our loans and financial obligations remain. The worries keep growing. 
 
I am not asking for pity. And I know that every euro or dollar counts — everywhere. But perhaps some people can help carry a small part of this burden. So we can keep our home. So we can still do things together as a family, while we still can. Not as some dramatic last wish — simply because time together has become so incredibly precious. 
 
I have deliberately not set a specific fundraising goal. Every contribution helps — no matter how big or small. 
 
Thank you for reading. Thank you for sharing. And thank you if you choose to support us. 

Sebastian

Christina Böke

Timo Alt

Anonymous

Sabine Meyer

matthias exner

Ulrike Dahl

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Hilke Kirchhübel

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platform

Platform is iOS

Android

Adyen Google Pay Development Audience

$opt_dummy_attribute

English only

Deprecate Stripe Legacy

dyn_template_ids

Adyen V6 Bene Transfer & MyMoney Campaign Organizers - test01

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OneTrust next-app audience

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NextDoor Share Option Users

Fundraisers with Reactions feature capability

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Payment method type group to be vaulted on success

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Auto Thanks Feature Audience

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Payment Identity Transfers ATO Risk Check (Targeted) - Production

Fundraiser Saved Payment Method Rate Limit Bypass (Production)

leaderboard-partner-id-audience-givepanel

Version 9.2.1 and above

AUD Donation Upsell audience

fundraiserCountryCode is US/EN

Active Fundraiser - Smart Default Cadence

DAF Internal

Vault on success card payment method

Platform is iOS v11.0.0 and above

Desktop users

Person ids

United States (US) users

allow yuno fundraisers for test

Mexico country code

Posters INTL

NPO Profile Opted-In

iOS at or above 12.4.0

non-US recurring donors

Canada Campaign Owner Group

Fundraiser Without Meta Link

Scheduler payment tester gorup

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Charities allow to be claimed unclaimed (PRD)

Canada (CA) users

currencyCode

UC Tipping v20250115 International

pymk_production_xplr_fe_team

Android at or above 12.2.0

Profile photo entry point audience

smart goals (fundraiser/manage) on test01

Activity Tracking v1 Beta Testing

writePath

Stream Notification

start gfm intl allowed locales

Platform is iOS v11.2.0 and above

unclaimed charities

prod_ach_audience

AI Chatbot Audience

amp13 only new funds (prod) (anyword auto)

UC Flow Enabled (Prod)

Payment Identity Beneficiary Verification - Production

shared notification bell audience

Custom users

ach frontend audience

Android v11.0.0 and above

Users Receiving Payments Paused Notifications

smart goals test01

Manage Coach - US English Organizers Only + new funds only

Team EGG - IP Address list

Fundraiser Without Instagram Deep Link

Native 11.4.0 and above

UC Tipping v20250107

Users Receiving Braze KYC Validation Failed

Native 11.3.0 and above

Influencer - Prod

US fundraisers and US users

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anyword

openai

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Native 11.4.0 and higher

New funds eligible - Video Sharing (PROD)

GB Donation Upsell audience 

Auto Thanks V3 Rollout Audience

Thank you V3 testing whitelist

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Is Recurring Friendly

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Logged In Users

CH Donation Upsell audience

Android v10.6.0 and above

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Localized Currency

v11.5.0 and above

testAudience

pathname

Survicate

appVersion is at or above 12.8.0

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challenge-fundraisers

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CAD Donation Upsell Audience

Braze Email Tester

NPO Profile Opted-Out

iOS App Version

hasKnownDonors

PYMK has donors

iOS v12.3.0 and above

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