Heinz Hoenig: Actor again in artificial coma

Since actor Heinz Hoenig (“Das Boot”, 72) was admitted to hospital in a life-threatening condition at the beginning of May, his wife Annika Kärsten-Hoenig (39) has been going through what is probably the most difficult time of her life. After he was admitted, doctors discovered a bacterial infection that had spread to his entire aorta and damaged a stent that had been inserted years ago. They also diagnosed a hole in his esophagus, which had to be removed in an initial operation.

Detailed health update on RTL

After Hoenig’s successful esophageal operation, Kärsten-Hoenig initially appeared relieved and confident. However, today, May 30, she announced on the RTL program “Punkt 7” that the planned aorta operation had to be postponed because the prominent patient’s condition had worsened again. Just a few hours later, she gave the broadcaster a detailed interim report on her husband’s current condition in an interview with “Punkt 12” – and emotional insights into her own inner life.

Actor wakes up from artificial coma

“I’m holding on,” she bravely said. “I think you just function. At the moment you’re not living, you function.” Two days ago, her husband had to be put into an artificial coma again, from which he has been gradually waking since yesterday. “He is partly conscious, partly asleep,” said Kärsten-Hoenig. “But he is fully intubated at the moment.”

The qualified nurse and educator told the broadcaster that their two children, Juliano (3) and Jianni (1), are dealing with the difficult situation remarkably well. “The older one is dealing with the situation wonderfully and has no fear of contact,” said the worried mother. “I always show the little one the photo of his dad, then he laughs and says ‘Daddy!'”

“You’re angry and just want to scream”

Of course, she finds it difficult to deal with the life-threatening illness, but she tries not to show it in front of her children. “You’re angry and you just want to scream,” she explained. “But where should I scream? I can’t scream in the hospital, in front of the children, or in a taxi, it’s difficult.” There are only two options in this matter: “Either you give up or you fight. And neither I nor Heinz would ever give up.”

Hope for the patient’s speedy return home

Annika Kärsten-Hoenig concluded her report with an extremely emotional insight into her current hospital routine. When her husband is conscious, she always reads to him from his favorite book, “The Little Buddha,” which the actor also always reads to his young sons before they go to bed. “I bought another book from the series in Berlin that we didn’t have yet, and it’s called ‘The Little Buddha on the Journey Home,'” reported the wife. “And I said to Heinz, ‘I’ll read it to you, because at some point, and we have to believe in that, we’ll go home again.'”