Group photo with the participants of the hands-on activity. Copyright: Junge/MHH.

Order the book for the join-in campaign

On September 3, 2022, we celebrated the campaign with the participants and presented the book with the encouraging stories.

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A young girl with a red swab on her nose and a paintbrush in her hand paints at a table and is happy. A red button advertises the participatory campaign for children and adults; Copyright: iStock/StefaNikolic

Give courage: Tell your story!

As part of the participatory campaign, patients who were transplanted as children or adolescents were asked to tell their personal story.

The action
Elke Büdenbender; Copyright: Federal Government/Steffen Kugler

Why do I support the campaign?

"From my own experience and because the well-being and future of children and young people is very important to me, I wholeheartedly support the…

To the video message
A girl sorts Polaroid photos and takes notes; Copyright: iStock/pepmiba

The stories

Here you can find the stories that have already been submitted!

Get a dose of courage!
First transplantation in children and adolescents at the MHH: kidney 1970, liver 1978, heart 1985, lung 1990. Copyright: MHH / Transplant Centre

Dates, figures and history

Hannover Medical School (MHH) can look back on a long tradition of transplantation in children and adolescents. Fifty years ago, a thirteen-year-old…

how it all began...

The stories

Not only as soccer stars ... no one is as cool as Müller and Robben

"Hello, I'm Müller."
"Hello, I'm Robben. We are two motivated and hard-working kidneys who have been living and working at Moses since December 2015. We actually lived with a little boy, but he…

Moses' story

You live

A poem by the mother of a child with a liver transplant.

She donated part of her liver to her then 7-month-old child.

To the poem

The story of Enes

After Enes developed pulmonary hypertension at the age of 18 months and was dependent on a ventilator, he underwent a lung transplant at the MHH in May 2013...

To the video

My eventful life 2.0

Hello, my name is Xenia, I am 18 years old and I had a lung transplant at the age of seven. I have lived with the chronic metabolic disease cystic fibrosis since birth and apart from minor…

Xenia's history

Joie de vivre

Julia's family wrote the poem Lebensfreude - Julias Geschichte, which is spoken by Julia and her father as donors. Listen to it now and get a dose of courage.

To the poem

The best decision of our lives

Giving courage... we would like to contribute to this. Simply tell other parents your own story and perhaps be a little help with a big, vital decision...

Henry's story

Just live normally ...

When we came to the MHH for the first time at the beginning of July 2015 with our then four-year-old daughter Rebecca, we already had a lot behind us: we had always thought we had two healthy…

Rebecca's story

Start into a new life

The experiences and memories of the transplant are still very fresh in our family. Our son Jakob was operated on not quite three months ago and received his new liver...

Jacob's story

The greatest gift in the world

For others, this photo has hardly any meaning. For me, it means everything. For others, it is normal to be healthy. That your organs work as they should. For me, it's not...

Alina's story

A new kidney for Bettina

50 years ago: German premiere at Hannover Medical School. Bettina was the first child in Germany to receive a kidney transplant.

Bettina's story

Grateful that we were able to spend so many years with him

Hello dear MHH team, I myself am not a transplant recipient and would like to tell the story of my brother Sebastian here to encourage others that the fight is always worthwhile...

Sebastian's story

Despite all the blows of fate, I live very happily

My name is Tamara Maier and I was born on November 8, 1984 in Zagreb, Croatia. It became apparent quite early on that I would not always have an easy life. My diagnosis was dilated cardiomyopathy…

Tamara's story

After the transplant, I no longer mean survival, but life

When I was 11 years old, my family physician sent me to the "Auf die Bult" hospital in Hanover with suspected appendicitis. At the time, I had been suffering from symptoms such as nausea and…

Wiebke's history

"My heart's day is my second birthday"

My name is Tanja, I am 31 years old and I was born on August 10, 1989 with several congenital heart defects. I underwent enterothorax (diaphragmatic hernia) surgery on the same day. This was…

Tanja's story

Three birthdays in one year

Hello, my name is Isabelle, I'm 30 years old, I'm from Sauerland and I've had two liver transplants. At 4 ½ months old, as I remember from my mother's stories, I had a very high fever. The…

Isabelle's story

Charlotte's story

Months before the diagnosis, Charlotte realized how serious the situation was. Her heart ached when she walked due to exertion, tightness and pressure in her throat and not enough air to breathe.…

Charlotte's story

Sometimes things turn out differently than you think...

Hello, I'm Kevin and I'm 12 years old. I was born on October 31, 2008 with a malformation of my kidneys. A blood test carried out by the MHH in Michigan (USA) revealed that I have a genetic…

Kevin's story

All good things come in fours!

My name is Simone, I am 52 years old, married and live in Minden. I have had kidney disease since I was 7 years old. My first encounter with the MHH was on June 21, 1976, the beginning of summer.…

Simone's story

I'll never give up

My name is Wiebke, I was born in the 26th week of pregnancy in April 2001, weighing 390 grams and measuring 28 centimeters. I was born so early because my twin sister had acute kidney failure

Wiebke's history

A summer in Hanover (Home is where your Heart is)

We are Oliver, Ulrike, Noah and Anna and we live in the Rhine-Main area. Noah was a completely healthy child until he was two and a half years old. Until suddenly, at the beginning of 2017, his…

Noah's story

Our common history

In May 2011, our eldest son Leonard was born four weeks earlier than planned. He was admitted to the premature baby ward and after just a few days, repeated blood tests were carried out,...

Leonard's story

When one organ suddenly becomes two organs

Hello, my name is Andrea and I am 28 years old. I was born in Hamburg in October 1992. Even before I was born, my parents knew that I would be born with kidney disease.

Andreas' story

Let the bones roll...

"Do you have a special relationship with our hospital?" the head physician at the MHH Children's Hospital asked me. "Yes, I've had two kidney transplants here!" I got the job...

Stefan's story

My "YES" to life

Get up every day? With pleasure!
Drive to work? With pleasure!
Do sport? Absolutely! Meet friends at
? Quite normal!
Eat chocolate? Never again without it!

Mareike's story

Giving three lives through a donation

Barbara was the first child in Bavaria to receive a liver transplant 26 years ago. Today she is doing well and has two healthy daughters.

Barbara's story

Martina needs a new kidney

Martina goes on dialysis at the age of six. Then her mother donates a kidney to her and her brother Markus (12) draws the story of "Nephro"...

The history of "Nephro"

Back to life

My name is Marius, I am 20 years old and have suffered from the chronic metabolic disease cystic fibrosis since birth...

Marius history

The turn before the turn

My name is Christian Bohle and I would like to tell you my story today. I was born 45 years ago now...

Christian's story

"You just have to make the best of the situation"

My name is Marcel, I am 21 years old and I had a kidney transplant at the age of 13. When I was six years old...

Marcel's story

"Fighting and persevering is worth it"

At the end of October 2019, my daughter Lara had an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist...

Lara's story

"Thank you for the incredible opportunity Sofie has been given."

Sofie was born on June 27, 2017 in Mannheim and by then had already had a long...

Sophie's story

"Such an eventful life is not a matter of course"

I'm Chantal, 28 years old, I successfully completed my studies at the beginning of 2020 and I'm in goal for a national field hockey league team...

Chantal's story

Two birthdays in one year

Hello, my name is Jan Kurtenbach. I am 28 years old and received a new heart and lungs at the MHH in 2001...

Jan's story

"The best thing was that I was allowed to drink cocoa..."

I was sitting on my five-year-old sister's blue sofa when our parents entered the room with serious faces....

Juliane's story

When wishes come true

When she grows up, Yaren wants to be a nurse. She knows many nurses, because she has been at the MHH for several years...

Yaren's story

Supporters

Elke Büdenbender; Copyright: Federal Government/Steffen Kugler

I support this action because...

Patron of the campaign: Elke Büdenbender, wife of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and judge at the Berlin Administrative Court (currently on academic leave).

To the video message
A card with a drawing of colorful lanterns and the text "Congratulations" Copyright: www.amandasevall.com

The AKTX Nursing e.V. congratulates!

The Arbeitskreis Transplantationspflege e.V. congratulates the MHH on the 50th anniversary of transplantation in children and adolescents.

To the letter of congratulations
The logo of the Ederhof; Copyright: Ederhof

Ederhof Rehabilitation Center

The Ederhof is a rehabilitation center specializing in children and adolescents with organ transplants. Since its opening over 20 years ago, the Ederhof has offered an integrative and…

To the Ederhof
The logo of the Rudolf Pichlmayr Foundation; Copyright: Rudolf Pichlmayr Foundation

Rudolf Pichlmayr Foundation

More than 25 years ago, transplant physician Rudolf Pichlmayr and his wife Ina Pichlmayr created a rehabilitation center where children and adolescents are physically and emotionally strengthened…

About the Pichlmayr Foundation
Professor Dr. Claudia Schmidtke; Copyright: Jan Kopetzky

"The MHH writes the stories with..."

Prof. Dr. Claudia Schmidtke, Federal Government Commissioner for Patients' Affairs.

To the greeting

Would you like to share your story with others?

Then write to us!

Regardless of whether you were transplanted as a child or an adult - please send your story with photos to: deinegeschichte@mh-hannover.de.

Note on Data Protection:
We need your consent to publish your story. Please complete the declaration of consent .