2023-12-09 02:33:11
Stella had just started school three years ago when her right arm kept hurting. At first, the pediatrician and parents suspected it was a muscular problem. Maybe she tensed up a little more while writing than other first graders.
But at some point painkillers were no longer enough. Stella’s arm was becoming more and more painful and her parents Stefanie and Matthias Flath decided to have it looked at by an orthopedist. But even therapy with a physiotherapist and an osteopath did not bring any improvement.
An MRI finally revealed a diagnosis that no one would have expected: The radiologist immediately referred the Flath family to an oncologist. Based on the MRI images, bone cancer was suspected.
Stella had tissue surgically removed from her arm for a biopsy to investigate what was really causing her problems. The diagnosis was Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH).
Stella (from left) loves sitting in the fireplace corner of the aftercare clinic in Tannheim with her family, little brother Felix, dad Matthias and mom Stefanie Flath and baby Tilda. | Image: Cornelia Putschbach
This is a condition that usually occurs in children and young adults. LCH is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth. Bones can be affected, as can other tissue.
For Stella, that means seven months of chemo treatment. This was the only way to combat the tumor cells. She received chemo once a month. This could be done on an outpatient basis. The drug was administered via a port catheter that remained inserted into a vein throughout.
During chemo, Stella had to wear her arm in a sling. He should be spared. There was also too great a risk that the affected bone could break and as a result the arm might not be able to be saved.
Stella survived the chemo well. At the same time, she was cared for by a psychologist during this time and beyond. Looking back, she remembers two things in particular: After the second chemo, the pain was significantly better. Nevertheless, the time she had to wear her arm in a sling seemed “really long,” she says of those months.
Stella is proud of her homemade Jodo. First she sawed it out and then painted it. | Image: Cornelia Putschbach
Today it looks like Stella’s story could have a happy ending. She is fine. The ten-year-old trains regularly in a swimming club and no longer has any physical limitations. A medical check-up takes place every six months. So far, always with the right and important result for Stella.
The Flath family – which also includes the younger siblings, Felix and Tilda – could have undergone family rehab immediately after the chemo. But father Matthias had only recently started a new job and not all employers recognize the problem that such an illness causes for the entire family. In short, Matthias Flath didn’t have the strength at the time to argue with his employer about the consequences of a possible rehab.
Stella enjoys working with her father in the wood workshop Video: Cornelia Putschbach
Over the years, Stella increasingly had nightmares and had trouble sleeping. The illness left more psychological traces on her than was initially apparent. That’s not unusual. As affected children get older, they process what they have experienced differently than when they were younger.
The family therefore now took the opportunity to start family rehab. The five of them were happy to come to Tannheim because they know they are in very good hands here in the aftercare clinic.
The psychological consultations and therapies are valuable for the entire family and Flaths also enjoys talking to other affected parents.
With her father Matthias Flath, Stella is sanding a wood saw in the wood workshop. | Image: Cornelia Putschbach
Stella and her brother Felix also enjoy being in the woodworking shop with their dad. In general, the creative offers offer the family the opportunity to switch off and find peace. Everyone also enjoys being with the horses in the therapy stable. Stella and Tilda enjoy the rides on horseback.
Stefanie Fath discovered a passion for Nordic walking in Tannheim. The paths through the forest right behind the clinic not only allow you to breathe deeply physically.
For the time after rehab, the Flath family has made a long list of what they want to continue to do at home. In Tannheim they gained insights into many things that can help them find the important islands of peace and relaxation in everyday family life.
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