Rare disease day

Thousands of people suffer from different diseases and some of them are very rare. Thousands sounds like a huge number, but compared to the seven billion people on earth, it’s almost nothing. Even for the doctors it’s hard to identify all diseases, especially the ones that only occur to, let's say, 1 of 50,000 people. Maybe the doctors see such a patient once in a lifetime, and so don’t recognize the disease, don’t even think it could be that, because it’s so rare.  And every disease can be a bit different, or two persons who have the same and get the same treatment, react differently. It is not only about the symptoms, as every person is different, every disease can be different, too. Because they are rare, they are also not many experts, who know about them and how to handle them the best.

The patients don’t only suffer from their diseases, most of them need many years and see many doctors until they figure out what they actually have. Often they get many misdiagnoses and wrong treatment, that doesn’t help them at all, maybe makes it even worse. Some patients use the internet; try to find other people who have the same symptoms. Not only the patients suffer, also their families do They who wanna help, but simply can’t. Even many people can’t be cured, it’s better for them to handle and live with their disease when they know about it. What do I have? What could be the reason I have that? Is there a chance of healing? Is there anyone out there who has the same and so knows how I feel? That’s another reason why the internet is so important for them. They wanna find people to talk to, they need to feel that they are not alone. As much as these people love the support of their families, they can’t really understand what they are going through.

Today is the 6th international Rare Disease Day. I wanted to write about that, because it can happen to all of us. Of course I don’t wish that anyone has to go through this, and no one wants to think about it, but we all can be in such a situation one day. So, I dedicate this post to everyone who has such a rare disease. I guess it must be hard, and I would love to read your story. So if you have a disease and wanna write about it, or you know somebody who's suffering from a rare disease, and wanna tell me about it, I’d really love to know. You can also use the contact form if you want to. I hope that the people who haven’t figured out what they actually have, they soon will, because I know it’s easier to live with it, when you know your “enemy”. And it’s also easier to find the treatment that can cure you, or at least help you to handle the disease better.

Watch here the Official Rare Disease Day Video:

For more go to http://www.rarediseaseday.org/

Let's start a cause

This blog post is a part of the I follow my heart project

Helping is something special. It’s great when you can help someone, when you support him in some way. It’s always a good feeling. But many people think that they can’t do anything on their own, because they are just one single person, and one single person can’t do anything.  But together, when there are many single persons, they can reach a lot. Like on causes.com, on which everyone can put a pledge or cause, share this via Facebook and spread the word over the internet.

No matter if you are against child abuse, wanna do something against the greenhouse effect, if you wanna save a kid who was badly treated, you wanna give children a home who don’t have one, protect the environment, are against factory farming, and so on. Over 170 million people have taken action on the site so far, so you can reach many people when you put your cause on that site. So if you wanna help someone or do something good, there is a good place to find many people who will support you.

screenshot of the website

I already took part in the Turn Facebook Pink To Support Breast Cancer which was last year in October, because everyone should be aware of and support this. There are many women who have to fight against breast cancer. No one wants to think about it, but cancer can come to all of us. And almost everyone knows at least one person who has or had cancer. So I wanted to support this.

There are many causes on this site, and this is why I love it so much. Everyone can be a part of it, and help someone, support people and do something good. It’s not always about giving money, it’s about writing about them, that these people will be heard, that other people think about them. The internet makes this possible. One person is not only one single person anymore. We are all connected, and together we can do even more.

For more on causes click here.

Inspiration is everywhere

As I do not only write blog posts, but also enjoy writing in all its way, this post is just about that. So if you love it too, first question is: how do I start? Writing a novel, or play is not just like writing a blog post. You have to think about a good storyline, you have to create believable characters who develop in your story and make it interesting for your readers.

picture by Alfred Lohmann

When I start writing, I firstly think about what do I wanna tell people, what is my intention, my main topic? Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to keep your eyes open. It might be hard to find something good to write about, and even harder to create the characters. So what can you do when you don’t wanna write a fan fiction?

Fan fiction is a good thing to start with, as you only have to think of the story and not of the characters. You don’t have to explain so much about them, because people already know the characters, where they live, who and how they are. So it’s also for you easier to think of the behavior of them. How they handle and what they say in various situations. No character is exactly the same, they can’t agree all the time, that would not be real life. And even you as a writer want to write about people who could really exist that way, so they also have to have some imperfections, some problems they have to deal with. They have to overcome their fear, or do something that is worth to be written about.

Different characters have different opinions, so you reach more people. Some agree with one character and some with the other. You can show two different sides, and don’t think in only one way. Development is also important because your readers want to feel with your characters, so they get more and more interested in his or her life, and when they find some parts of your character in themselves and talk about them like they would know them personally, you have won. That’s a very good thing for your story.

Every person speaks differently, so it’s good, when your readers just read the spoken words and know which of your characters is saying that. So before you start writing, you think about all the characters that appear in your story. Think what they like, what they don’t like, where they come from, write them a family story. Are they related, are they friends, do they know each other or do they meet at some point of your story? When you know everything about them, you can easier feel like them and have a better imagination how they would talk and what they might say. Then it’s like fan fiction – you have the characters and can finally write your story.

picture by Tony Fischer

But where do you get the information you need that you can create characters? Well, I love to watch people and think what they might say to each other. Imagine you’re sitting on a bench in the park. A woman walks by with her dog. Kids are playing nearby. What could she think? Does she like the kids? Does she wanna have her own kids, or does she already have a girl or a boy? Maybe she and her husband are separated and the kids are with him, and she has to go alone for a walk with the dog. The kids can remind her that she misses her own kids, maybe that she went to that playground very often with them. Or she thinks about her childhood, that she used to live here, then moved and came back because of her mom who needs her help. What could have happened? Why is she going for a walk, or is she on the way to her girlfriend?

People are everywhere, and so is the inspiration. You wanna write about the real life, so go out and watch the real life. Don’t follow anyone, just watch people in one specific moment. No matter if you're on a bus, at the mall, or anywhere else. Think what these guys could think about. Why are they here? What are they doing? With whom are they here? Think about their story. This helps me a lot to find something to write about.

Just go out, get your inspiration and write. Good writing needs time and also lots of rewritings, editing and changes, but it makes fun to create a story and characters. You can also write in a coffee shop, or at the library. Maybe there is more inspiration, as only sitting on your computer at home.

Deutsche Welthungerhilfe

This blog post is a part of the I follow my heart project 

For 50 years the German ‘Welthungerhilfe’ helps people worldwide who have nothing or not much to live. They support people like on Haiti or Kuba. After hurricane Sandy had destroyed lots of the few things they had, 33.000 people were hit hard by that hurricane, 45 people were reported dead on Haiti. It’s no question that Sandy destroyed a lot, many people still have to suffer these days. The ‘Welthungerhilfe’ supports them and other people who have less, and/or were hit hard by such a natural disaster. They want to help these people to improve their lives.

Hurricanes in Nicaragua, north of Costa Rica, are very often. In September 2007 hurricane Felix destroyed many wells, buildings and medical care stations. The people don’t have much to drink, because the wells are often leaky and dirty. Drinkable water is getting less because of that, so when people drink out of the well, the chance is high that they get sick. Another problem is that they don’t have much to eat, and so they are more prone to become sick.
The ‘Welthungerhilfe’ helps the residents to build new houses, sanitary installations and repair the damaged wells. They also help the people planting fruits and vegetables and give them advices how to take care of it, and how to sell the not needed goods most effectively.

The ‘Welthungerhilfe’ does a lot to help people who need the help the most. I think it’s a very good cause, and when you click on their website you see how much they’ve already done and what they still do. You can also donate some money, they will use it to help human beings who really needs it. Inform yourself about it, talk about it, share the website. Many people should know about this and get the chance to help. We could be like them, and wouldn’t we be happy if someone out there would help us? We might complain a lot about our lives, but in my mind, it could have been much more worse.

picture taken by John Martinez Pavliga

For more on Deutsche Hungerhilfe go to http://www.welthungerhilfe.de/home.html (website is in German)

OperationSAFE

This blog post is a part of the I follow my heart project 

 “The spirit of a man will sustain him in sickness, but who can bear a broken spirit?” 

Proverb

Kids should be kids. They should play with their friends, have fun and living a good life with their family. A family that protects them, takes care of them and gives them love. But unfortunately not every kid is blessed with that. So many children lost their parents way too early and so they need others to help them. Like OperationSAFE, that is run by volunteers and short-term teams.

picture taken from the OperationSAFE-website

So many bad things happen every single day. You receive a bad message from your doctor, someone of your family suffers or someone you loved had died. It is hard for us to go through this, to understand why such a bad thing had happened to us. But imagine you would still be a child. Wouldn’t it be so much worse? Children understand such a disaster even less than an adult. Why did this happen to them? Why had their parents left them? Left them all alone? They keep asking themselves such questions and they will never forget what happened to them.

Maybe they also think they have done something wrong, and that’s the punishment. But of course that is not true. When an earthquake or another natural disaster caused the death of their parents and they have to live in an orphanage, they might not feel loved. These kids are loved but not by the ones they love: their own parents. They miss them, miss the safety they gave them. So when a kid gets affected by such a horrible disaster, they suffer much more than a grown-up, and so they need special help. OperationSAFE takes care of these children. They teach them the five important principles to emotional recovery and survival.

After such a disaster had happened and the kids know that they won’t see their parents again, they feel left alone. So the first thing for them is to realize that they are not. There are still people who love them and take care of them, because everyone is important. Life is a gift, and everyone is worth living his or her life. So they should make new friends and talk to them, it’s not about to give up but to look forward. Believe in yourself and follow your heart. Stay courageous and strong. You’ll realize that you are loved.

Stories, crafts, songs and games help these kids to regain hope. They make friends, communicate with each other, and try to forget. They won’t forget, but together they can get through it all a bit better and easier. OperationSAFE does a great job in my mind, that’s why I wanted to write about their work. I think it’s really impressive and a great thing. Children should be allowed to have a good childhood, they should not suffer, they should not have to go through such pain and think life is only about that. They should firstly see the beautiful sides of life. So when something so horrible happened to them, they need help of others to realize that they are not alone, that they are loved and life goes on. Everyone working for OperationSAFE shows us, that life really has very good, kind and generous sides, too.

For more on OperationSAFE go to http://opsafeintl.com/

The tutu project

This blog post is a part of the I follow my heart project

Yesterday I saw something on TV which really caught my eye and touched my heart. And after watching it, I thought: this could be the first contribution to my charity project I Follow my Heart, about what people do to help others. That it's not only about the money. There are many ways people come into our lives and change it in a good way. And writing about these people who spend time and do something really impressive, is just a great thing and worth to share it.

I don't know if you have already heard of the Tutu Project. I haven't since yesterday. It's about the New York photographer Bob Carey who takes pictures of himself wearing nothing but a tutu. And the reason is his wife who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. So he takes pictures to cheer her up, to give her hope to beat it.

A commercial assignment for Ballet Arizona inspired him to do this. He started to think about beginning a series of pictures with him in the tutu. When Carey and his wife moved to New York, she was diagnosed and he dedicated the series to her. He wants to give her hope, a reason to laugh and still have some joy when everything seems so dark. I guess it cheers him up, too. I mean what can be better than seeing your beloved smiling?

This is such a good idea, so touching. Photos are not just pictures, some do even tell a story. A good picture doesn't need words to be understood all over the world. Because it can say more than any word could. That's why I can't find any word that could perfectly describe what I feel about this. There's gonna be a self-published photobook called Ballerina which is dedicated to all women who fight against breast cancer, and their relatives. All the net proceeds from the book will go to breast cancer organizations like CancerCare.org.

If you want to know more about this wonderful project and also see more pictures, please go to The Tutu Project.

Picture and information for this blog post taken from Wired

If you have an idea or want to write a guest post on my blog about someone who inspires you or someone who does something great and inspiring to help others, please contact me.

Another big BANG

Time is going by so fast, it’s amazing that I already write my 100th blog post today. What a blast! I’m doing this since March this year, and I like it all more and more. Mostly I like the people who come and read what’s on my mind. It’s great that you take your precious time for reading my lines, and some of you also leave a comment. I love to read them, I read them all. I also go to other blogs, and it’s wonderful to ‘meet’ so many nice guys, to know more about them and their life.

Writing means a lot to me. I loved it already as a kid to write down so many things. I love to be creative, to think about a topic and how to write about it. I love to think, sometimes I maybe think too much. I know that it’s often better to simply do somethings, and I also tell myself, that without trying I will never know if it would work. Then I ask myself what would be worse: failing or never trying? What are the things we regret in the end? The ones we did, or the ones we did not even try?

I’m glad that I didn’t think too much about starting this blog. It’s my second, actually, the first one was in German like most of the stuff that I wrote before I started this. As writing always helped me, that blog was like a fresh start to me. I started to write it all in English, the language that had fascinated me all the time. For a reason that I can’t really describe. But I liked it, I loved reading books or watching Conan O’Brien when I was about 13 years old. He was the only late night talker I could watch on TV, now it’s Jimmy Fallon. Luckily I have internet now ;)

I love the American comedy, it’s so much fun, not like most of the German comedy. I don’t know that much funny German stuff, only two parodies: one of Star Trek (I was at the original set of that movie, and during a set tour we could replay parts of the movie, which was my first time in front of a movie camera, which is a very good memory and I still have the DVD and totally enjoyed it) and one of Winnetou. We do have some good shows and at least one good late night talker called Stefan Raab, who also writes and produces great music, but in my mind we can’t be compared to the US.

Anyway, I love Germany, and I love the place where I come from and grew up. But I also feel connected to the Americans, maybe because I have relatives there, and in Canada as well, and that’s why I started that blog. I had the chance to write and hoped that anyone would read it. I can improve my English, my writing. I don’t know yet where I’ll go after college, if I’ll spend some time in the States, or if I’ll stay in Germany. The future is a surprise, it would be lame if we could predict exactly everything, wouldn’t it?

I’d like to thank you, you who come to my blog. You are the reason why I still love to do that. That blog was the right decision, though I also struggled a lot. But I needed it, because I missed the English as much as the writing, while I was working for some years in an office after school. It helped me to end the darkest time I went through. I really don’t wanna go back to that time, in which I didn’t saw a future or a reason to live. But now I am back on track. This blog was like a big bang, the second after Jim made me see who I am, what I wanna do, what I missed. After 100 blog entries, I feel that another big bang has to come. Another thing I am working on. As people helped me, I try to give something back, try to help others. It’s a new project I thought of for a while, and I can’t do this on my own.

You can have a look here or by clicking on the tab above -> Charity project I follow my heart. Please spread the word, please write a comment, share your opinion on it, or if you have any ideas to improve it. Have you met such a person who just came into your life, and changed it that you are glad and happy that he or she did that? It don't have to be a person you met in real life, maybe also someone you saw a TV or anywhere else, that let you think about something and see it differently. That this person has inspired you in some way? If so, please tell me about it. Let us show that we love and appreciate the work of someone else. Let me create a big bang for others, too. Thanks.

The necessity of giving

We are happy, feel totally healthy. In our young age we think nothing really serious can happen to us. We can’t get sick because we are so young. Maybe to our grandparents, but we will stay forever healthy.

Well, unfortunately I have to say that this is not true - we can get sick. And all that can happen in only a fraction of a second. We can get involved in a car accident, which happens every day. Some bad circumstances, we can’t predict the future. We can't be sure what is gonna happen. Maybe we already have some germs in us, hidden somewhere in our body. And when it will react with something, it may can start to destroy our body from the inside. When we will know it, it can already be too late, and then only a donation could help.

I know it is not easy and you might would say: I’m lucky that I’m healthy but I don’t wanna share it with some poor guy having any heavy and 'hard-to-heal-sickness'. But you should keep in mind, that you could be that poor guy who needs help very urgently. You wouldn’t wanna die, would you? If you would know there is a chance of healing? There is a possibility and even if it’s a small one? You just need to find the right donor and that is quite difficult. Some might think that they want to rest in peace after they passed away and that’s not wrong but isn’t it good, too, if you could say that you may started a new life, giving someone else a second chance?

It’s a difficult decision, not easy to made. Helping someone is a good feeling. Most people recognize the importance when they know someone who needed any kind of donation. When they have to struggle with death and there could have been a chance of survival, if one would be willing to give. In life we can’t just only take, we also have to give. For new chances, for new lives. We don’t wanna let go what and who we love, that’s human, but isn’t the ‘who’ more important than the ‘what’?