Fighting cancer

Giving up is not an option for Richard

Despite his serious illness, Richard Geiger has not given up on his will to live - together with his daughter Valentin and partner Karin.

(Bild: zvg/Geiger)

Richard Geiger (52) from Bregenzerwald suffers from lung cancer and COPD. He refuses to give up and has high hopes for modern medicine. 

"I've always been a positive person," explains the man from Riefensberg. Yet he could well be at odds with his fate. Just one week after his little daughter was born three years ago, he was diagnosed with malignant lung cancer. "I never used to worry about my health. I thought nothing would kill me." Nevertheless, he remained calm. Instead of falling into a hole, his fighting spirit was awakened. "I want to be there for my family for a long time to come," he says. Richard underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy. "I'm glad I had some reserves, because I lost 40 kilos during this time," he says, describing the grueling procedure. Fortunately, the therapy worked so well that the tumor became smaller and the cancer is currently "dormant". However, he is aware that it doesn't have to stay that way and that his health could quickly deteriorate again.

I never used to worry about my health. I thought nothing would kill me. Suddenly the cancer was there. The doctors said it was early-stage lung cancer.

Richard Geiger

Hope for support
That's why he is always finding out about new treatment methods and therapies using the body's own cells, but these cost a lot of money - money that the invalid pensioner doesn't have in his pocket. For this reason, he has set up a donation page and is hoping for the support of his fellow human beings. "The time had a big impact on me. You think differently about life and I also help where I can," he says.

How you can support Richard

Online:
www.spendenseite.de/ cancer-therapy-donation/-67176

Donation account: Raiffeisenbank Riefensberg, AT703747400002425262

Giving up is not an option for the 52-year-old, because he wants to see his three-and-a-half-year-old daughter grow up and enjoy the good things in life with her. "Ever since she was born, she's only known me ill. The older she gets, the more worried she gets," he says of his little Valentina, who always gets sad when her dad has to go to hospital again.

Four bouts of pneumonia in a short space of time
He is practically a regular there, even if he doesn't get much out of lying around. "It always has to go on. My daughter gives me courage." As he also suffers from COPD and his immune system is weakened, he has had to deal with severe pneumonia four times in the last two years. "I'm no stranger to breathlessness. I run out of air quickly. I already find it difficult to walk up and down stairs," says Richard, who always used to feel quite fit. His job as a car mechanic meant that his lungs came into contact with a lot of harmful exhaust fumes. "I also smoked a lot," he admits - he suspects that this dangerous mixture caused the cancer.

Richard Geiger is doing everything he can to be a good dad to his daughter Valentina for a long time to come. Above all, he hopes for new cancer therapies.

(Bild: zvg/Geiger)

Nevertheless, he is glad that his illness was discovered early and actually by chance. "If the cancer had spread, it would probably already be over," he muses. Yet Richard enjoys life so much. He also advises others to undergo routine check-ups and not to take their own health lightly.