For 20 years, the Kleine Herzen Hannover e.V. association has been supporting children with heart disease and their families. An interview with the association’s chairwoman, Ira Thorsting.
Turning an idea into a major association: Ira Thorsting. Copyright: Karin Kaiser / MHH
Your association was founded at the 2006 State Press Ball. How did that come about?
Thorsting: I had won two VIP tickets worth 5,000 euros for the World Cup and spontaneously put them up for auction. That evening, those 5,000 euros quickly turned into 40,000 euros, and following the event, another 60,000 euros were added from various donors. This money then went straight into our first project. Together with the Herzkind association and the MHH, we funded the renovation of parent-child rooms. This resulted in 15 single and double rooms, each with a wheelchair-accessible shower room, on the two pediatric cardiology wards at the MHH.
Did you ever think that this spontaneous idea would turn into such a large-scale initiative?
Thorsting: No, absolutely not. That wasn’t my intention at all. But then, over time, many other projects developed. Today, the association is almost like a small business. It now has nine volunteers. The Little Hearts are able to operate thanks to numerous small and large donations. Some supporters have been with us for many years.
Which donations impress you the most?
Thorsting: There are many examples, and they don’t just depend on the amount donated. I’ll just mention a benefit concert by Fury in the Slaughterhouse. On an evening like that, it’s not just a lot of money that’s raised for Kleine Herzen. The music also touches a great many people and gives them an unforgettable experience—myself included.
Which projects does the money go toward?
Thorsting: We support initiatives that cannot be funded by public funds. These are projects in the human and social aspects of patient care. On the one hand, we focus on young patients and their families. On the other hand, we support the physicians and nursing teams who do outstanding work every day. World-class medicine is practiced at the MHH Children’s Hospital, and we want to help ensure that this remains the case in the future.
What motivates you?
Thorsting: My personal connection to the cause. My son Yan-Frederic was born 40 years ago with a severe heart defect and was saved by surgery at the MHH Children’s Hospital. That’s why I know how parents feel in such a situation and what’s needed beyond just good medical care.
Do you have a favorite project?
Thorsting: The project closest to my heart is the training in crisis support. In these courses, Nursing professionals learn to better manage particularly stressful situations and to support the families of seriously ill or deceased children in a respectful and reassuring manner. These important courses were initially launched for MHH staff, and now participants come from Clinical Departments across the country.
The association has already received numerous awards for its projects…
Thorsting: Yes, I’m particularly proud of the award for our interpreting service. Interpreting helps foreign patients and their parents understand what the physicians are trying to tell them, for example regarding diagnoses and upcoming treatments. We offer medical interpreters in more than 50 languages. This project has been established nationwide in Germany.
How much money have you been able to channel into the children’s hospital over the past 20 years?
Thorsting: A total of well over six million euros.
How do you look back on the past 20 years?
Thorsting: With a deep sense of gratitude toward the physicians, nurses, and therapists who do such a wonderful, dedicated job around the clock in the pediatric cardiology units and throughout the entire Children’s Hospital.
Interview: Tina Götting
For more information about the Kleine Herzen e.V. association and its projects, visit: www.kleineherzen.de