Franziska Bleis proves that the assessment of one's own fate depends heavily on the perspective one adopts.

The 39-year-old Berliner needs a donor heart – urgently.

It collapsed on December 28 last year.

Her husband saved her life with more than half an hour of resuscitation.

A helicopter brought her from her parents' place of residence in Brandenburg to the German Heart Center in Berlin.

After waking up two days later, she found out: You can no longer rely on your own heart.

Nevertheless, she says: "My condition is comparable to that of a terminal cancer patient.

But I can hope for an organ donation and thus have a great chance of healing.

I am grateful for that.

And that makes me feel good mentally.”

Eva sleeper

Editor in the "Life" department of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.

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Franziska Bleis doesn't know exactly where she gets her optimism from.

"I never used to allow myself to be proud of myself, but right now I am," she says, referring to her psychological resilience, which has so far gotten her through the difficult time of uncertainty.

She believes in the cautious prognosis of a senior physician, who said he saw a chance that she could get an organ offer within three months.

In the case of an HU listing (for high urgency, high urgency), the average waiting time is between three and six months.

Those who do not get this high priority, but still need a transplant, may have to wait years.

About 20 percent of patients on the waiting list never go through with a transplant.

They die while they wait.

Franziska Bleis refuses to think that things could go wrong.

She relies on her “good starting position”.

A little over two years ago everything was fine

Just over two years ago, Franziska Bleis led the normal life of a working mother.

The biological-technical assistant was responsible for human resources at a cardiology practice in Berlin, after having worked for many years at the Charité in the field of cardiology research.

She calls it “strange” that she has a lot of knowledge about myocarditis, also known as heart muscle inflammation, and that it was precisely this disease that was fatal to her.

In December 2019, after a very slight infection, she developed breathing difficulties and was surprised by the dry cough, but saw no cause for concern.

That changed on the third Sunday in Advent when she suddenly suffered from shortness of breath.

Her husband took her to the hospital;

severe myocarditis was diagnosed there.

Within hours, Bleis' condition continued to deteriorate.

A pump was inserted into her heart via a catheter.

That saved her life at that moment.

The woman, who had been sporty and fit as a fiddle until then, came to the German Heart Center in Berlin.

Experts work there for particularly complicated cases.

In a joint decision with the patient, they dared to take an unusual step.

They left the pump, which is only approved as an emergency system for a few hours, in Bleis' body for two months.

It relieved the heart and thereby enabled it to regenerate.

At the same time, the Berliner took medication to fight the inflammation.

At first she was monitored day and night in the intensive care unit, but the pump proved its worth.

The heart recovered to such an extent that the pump was removed and she was discharged home.

Shortly before the outbreak of the corona pandemic, it looked like this