For almost two years he appeared to be cancer-free. Now Tim Lobinger is fighting the disease again. But he is combative.
In March 2017, former pole vaulter Tim Lobinger (49) 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. In an interview with the magazine, the ex-competitive athlete now makes it public that the disease has returned. Accordingly, Lobinger suffers 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”.
Therapy didn’t work at first
Despite various therapies and radiation, Lobinger continued to deteriorate physically. “Days later I couldn’t get up the stairs at home because of the pain and loss of control in my legs,” he recalls. At the beginning of January he received a so-called CAR-T cell therapy, to which the majority of patients normally react positively. “And for me: Day one, three, five, seven, nine – nothing.” The doctors also seemed to be at a loss. After day 14 he was released and the former competitive athlete lost all hope: “Then I came home and only really registered it there: That was it now.”
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”
Suddenly the therapy seemed to work. “The genetically modified CAR-T cells had apparently hidden themselves in my tumors and suddenly started to clean up my body,” reports Lobinger. 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 take it. That’s what I’m counting on. I’m a fighter, for me, my family and my friends.”
Source: Stern
I am a 24-year-old writer and journalist who has been working in the news industry for the past two years. I write primarily about market news, so if you’re looking for insights into what’s going on in the stock market or economic indicators, you’ve come to the right place. I also dabble in writing articles on lifestyle trends and pop culture news.
