Call for help from parents

Only old special device for seriously ill boy

Family father Mathias Stangl shows the device that measures the heartbeat and oxygen saturation of the seriously ill Matheo. It is to be taken away from the Stangls.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Klaus Schindler)

A special medical device that measures heartbeat and breathing enables parents to tell whether their seriously ill eight-year-old son is doing well or not. This is because the boy can no longer speak or move. As is the case every three months, the health insurance approval for the measuring device expired again - the company announced that it would now be withdrawn. Too expensive! A cheaper, old replacement is coming.

It was March 19, 2023 that completely turned the lives of the Stangl family from Waldviertel upside down: "Matheo was sick. Later, he let the dogs out. He was already dragging himself up the stairs on all fours," say parents Mathias and Michelle, describing the beginning of their son's long ordeal.