Julia Sauerteig and her fiancé Tolga Jungkunz walk around the Esbacher See near Coburg. Around them, a lot of green nature, clear water and the best summer weather. The two enjoy being together. Today the 23-year-old is fine again. In March 2020 it was completely different: At the beginning of the first lockdown, Julia was diagnosed with breast cancer. Like Julia, around 20 million people experience it every year. Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the world.
Julia fights cancer alone in the hospital
When Julia said goodbye in front of Tolga Hospital at the end of March 2020, her thoughts were heavy. She did not expect to be able to leave the clinic again and wrote farewell letters, she said during a break on a park bench. At that time, many clinics and old people’s homes were strictly prohibited from visiting due to the corona pandemic. It was very difficult to be alone in this difficult time.
Support and strength from family, friends and the fiancé
Her family, friends and Tolga would have looked after her incredibly. The 23-year-old also said that the birth of a sponsored child a few weeks after the diagnosis gave her strength to fight. On the one hand, Corona had made a lot more difficult, on the other hand, she felt better protected by the hygiene rules and protective masks.
The time was doubly difficult for her fiancé Tolga, too. While he had to be there for Julia, he was in the middle of training.
Brightly painted stones as encouragement
Julia also found support in one Facebook group called “Frankenstones”. The members of the group paint stones and lay them out in nature for others to find. Julia also posted a stone there that she had painted and laid out for a friend who was also suffering from cancer. In this way, her own story of suffering also reached the community of around 20,000 members.
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