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Vitali Herzog is also fighting his brain tumor for his eight-year-old son. © Private
37-year-old Vitali Herzog from Kirchweyhe is fighting a brain tumor for the second time. Now friends are collecting donations for a new therapy.
Uelzen-Kirchweyhe – Every day counts: 37-year-old Vitali Herzog from Kirchweyhe is fighting a particularly malignant brain tumor. And this despite the fact that he had already defeated a slightly weaker tumor of this type in 2020. But now the last hope lies in an innovative therapy from the Tübingen Center for Human Genetics. The problem: The treatment costs around 64,000 euros – and the health insurance company doesn’t pay. Now two close friends are collecting donations.
Vitali is “a fighter who never gives up – no matter how difficult the challenges are. But now he faces a battle that he cannot win without support,” it says Call for donations on the online platform “GoFundMe”. The initiators, Vitali’s close friends Paul Zandt and Tim Breithaupt, want to give him the chance to continue fighting for his life and his family.
Vitali’s friends Paul Zandt (back) and Tim Breithaupt (front left) collect donations. © Private
They have been friends with him for at least 20 years and have spent a lot of time together in Holdenstedt and the surrounding area, says Zandt in the AZ interview. “He fights not only for himself, but above all for his little son, who needs his daddy.”
According to the German Brain Tumor Aid, the aggressive tumor that could kill Vitali is characterized by “rapid growth with an infiltrating character” – a so-called astrocytoma, WHO grade 4. It arises from astrocytes, a type of glial cell that in turn “envelop, support and supply” the nerve cells (neurons) in the brain and spinal cord. The tumor is very rare: between 0.45 and 0.6 out of 100,000 people are diagnosed with it every year.
During surgery, the tumor could not be completely removed, explains Zandt. The usual medical treatment with chemotherapy has so far been unsuccessful. Finally, Vitali’s mother came into contact with relatives of those affected – including a family from Dresden – via an Internet forum and learned about a new therapy.
New therapy tailored to DNA profile
Vitali will be given a vaccine that is tailored to his DNA profile and will thus support his immune system in the fight against the tumor. “More directly than is possible with chemotherapy,” says Zandt, but adds that he is a layman himself. “Brain tumors only make up two percent of all cancer cases.” Therefore, such tumors are “not that well researched,” so there are not many treatment options that health insurance covers.
Zandt cannot give an exact prognosis about the further course of the disease: “It’s difficult to say. There are people who live for five or ten years.” Zandt and Vitali’s relatives are not deterred by this: “Of course we try to grab every straw.” First and foremost, it’s about more time for Vitali.
This was the second time he had been diagnosed with brain cancer. At the end of 2019, Vitali was diagnosed with an astrocytoma, WHO grade 2, after he had complained of severe headaches and regular vomiting for several weeks, according to Zandt. “He was a fit young man and played football every week.”
Contrary to expectations, serious complications arose after an immediate operation: cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, and a coma lasting several weeks. After awakening in February 2020, Vitali had to learn how to speak and move again.
Today, however, Vitali still suffers from spastic paralysis on the left side of his body. He can only walk with the help of an orthosis on his left leg, but he cannot grab or carry a cup of tea with his left hand. His short-term memory is also impaired, making it difficult for him to organize his everyday life. “But Vitali never complained,” says Zandt.
As of yesterday, over 62,000 euros have already been raised for the current fight against the tumor. And that after less than a week: “We are totally speechless ourselves. It’s crazy how much has come together,” says Zandt happily.
