Family life at the limit

How Paul fights against “villains” in his body

Since Paul's shock diagnosis, his family has been living "in a world of its own, spinning at a different speed".(Bild: Markus Wenzel)

A diagnosis suddenly changed the lives of an Upper Austrian family. Since then, their world has been "spinning at a different speed" and in addition to worries about three-year-old Paul's health, they are also facing financial problems. But "Krone" readers can give a little confidence.

"I want a jam sandwich," whines Paul (3) as he sits at the dining table and proudly explains to the Krone editor where to put his knife, fork and spoon. Ravenous hunger attacks are just one of the many side effects of the treatment that the three-year-old has been undergoing since May 23 this year. The day that turned the life of the family from the district of Perg completely upside down.

Shock diagnosis of cancer
The day before, mom Bettina (34) had taken the little one to see her paediatrician, as bruises kept appearing on Paul's body. As the family was eating lunch the next day, the 34-year-old's cell phone rang. On the other end was the doctor with the results of the blood test. "He told us to pack and that we were already expected at the children's hospital," recalls mom Bettina.

"I just cried"
After the initial shock, the couple took Paul and his then five-month-old brother Lukas to hospital in Linz. This was followed by bone marrow punctures, blood tests and the devastating diagnosis: leukemia. "There were 98 percent cancer cells in his bone marrow," says Bettina and dad Michael (40) adds: "I just cried."

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Long stays in hospital
He stayed in hospital with Paul for 36 days, while his partner slept at home with their younger son. "Lukas was still breastfed. We went to Linz every day, and in between I made sure that the household kept running somehow," says the pediatric nurse. Since then, the three-year-old has been receiving chemotherapy and is being treated with cortisone. He is bravely cooperating and knows that he has "bad guys" in his body.

Worried about his health and finances
In order not to jeopardize his recovery, the family has scaled back their social life - plans have changed. "I actually wanted to go back to work quickly. Instead, my husband had to reduce his working hours," says the 34-year-old. Despite this, the loan for the house renovation is still running, and in addition to worries about health, there are financial problems, say the parents: "Since the diagnosis, we've been living in our own world, which is spinning at a different speed."