Jennifer Gertz has had to put up with a lot in her not very long life. In 2019, the then 28-year-old from Neubrandenburg was diagnosed with breast cancer. After chemotherapy, radiation and several operations, she was initially cancer-free in 2020.
Also tried alternative healing methods
But a good four years later, this July, there was another shock: the cancer had returned, this time with bone metastases, i.e. tumors spreading into the bones. Her back is particularly affected; But the metastases are also in the pelvis, arms and sternum, says Jennifer Gertz in an interview with Nordkurier.
“It’s actually nerve-wracking at the moment,” she says, summing up the current situation. Since October 23rd, she has been receiving radiation at the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Clinic in Neubrandenburg, which is intended to relieve the pain and attack the cancer cells.
15 radiation sessions over three weeks are planned, and she will also receive the bone injection “Denosumab” every month to strengthen and protect her bones. But according to conventional medicine, it is still incurable. “This ultimately leads to death,” says the 33-year-old – and immediately adds that she doesn’t believe in it herself.
“In addition to the conventional medical things, I also want to do more,” she says. These alternative healing methods include vitamin C therapy, curcumin therapy or therapeutic sessions. While a curcumin infusion to treat cancer from Hyperthenia center in Hanover is recommendedare missing according to the Cancer information service still “Reliable evidence” of the effect of vitamin C therapy.
Jennifer Gertz wants to be cancer-free again, (Photo: Bastian Bönisch)
“I believe that I can become cancer-free again,” says Jennifer Gertz. She already managed to do this once in 2019 – but the current situation is “completely new” compared to the breast cancer disease five years ago: “You deal directly with death.”
Health insurance only pays for conventional medicine
But the problem for Jennifer Gertz is that the health insurance company only covers the costs for conventional medical therapy, but not for the alternative part. Conventional medicine and alternative medicine complement each other, and the alternative healing methods have also been agreed with the Neubrandenburg Clinic. “This is met with support, they think it’s very good,” says the 33-year-old. But the cost of the entire alternative healing program is around 20,000 euros – and Jennifer Gertz cannot raise that much money.
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For the Neubrandenburg native, however, one thing is certain: “I want to take every opportunity I get. It’s about everything.” That’s why the 33-year-old, who is also on the Social-Media-Plattform TikTok Talking about her illness, she started a fundraising campaign on the “gofundme” website. Within three days, the campaign “Jennifer’s dream of health – support her therapy!” had already raised over 5,000 euros, and over 250 donors have now donated more than 8,000 euros.
video/7427842026269330721" data-video-id="7427842026269330721" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px">@jennifee1701 Please support my therapy! 🙏🏻 You can find the link in my bio ⬆️ Every donation, no matter how small, helps me support my dream of health. Please also share this video and the link to it – this will help me reach even more people 🍀 I THANK you from the bottom of my heart 💜 Your Jennifee #jennifeestherapy ♬ Rule of Life – Verganio
The 33-year-old never expected so much money to come together so quickly. But even starting the campaign “took me a lot of effort,” she says. She thought for a long time about whether she even wanted to start such a call for donations. “I don’t want it to come across as if I was begging for money.”
Got a lot of feedback
But the Neubrandenburg native has received a lot of positive feedback for the campaign so far. “Many cancer patients have written to me,” she reports. In general, there would be a lot of discussion about the illness in their bubble – but that also has negative sides. From time to time she would also receive suggestions that would be “counterproductive” to curing cancer. “I hope that my campaign will encourage other people to talk about their situation,” says Jennifer Gertz about her appearance on social media.
But she also knows how difficult it is to talk about her own cancer diagnosis. For the first few months after the diagnosis she “couldn’t talk about it at all”. But she has now realized that it helps her personally psychologically to talk to others about the situation. However, this doesn’t apply to everyone, you always have to see how you can best deal with the situation, she gives as a tip to other people affected.
“If I’m cancer-free in a year, then I’ll have achieved everything,” she says, looking optimistically into the future. If the cancer is defeated one day, the Neubrandenburg resident could also imagine providing more general information about it. From a long-term perspective, the 33-year-old still has a great wish for the future. “I dream of a future in which I am healthy,” she writes to her supporters on the fundraising page, “and maybe one day I can even start a family.”
