“Wir halten durch!” – “We keep going” this heading was part of a song, the entire family sang on many occasions on stage to the melody of a commonly known carnival’s song. All what is left now is silence. They have stopped singing their song now. Nine years ago Friedhelm became ill for the first time. “In the beginning his voice became just hoarse. He never told me what the doctors told him about it. For the last two years he did not seek any doctors’ council at all. He was afraid of course, but he kept his fears to himself,” says his wife Ingeliese. “During the last half year he rapidly lost weight. He turned grey and looked ill. This is why he finally went to see a doctor again. He needed medical treatment badly. After the doctors had analyzed a tissue sample it was certain: His entire larynx was covered in cancer cells.” „Friedhelm never complains about anything, even if he is very bad,” tells his wife Ingeliese. “He spared me from these bad feelings. But he also excluded me from the beginning of his disease. He never told me, what the doctors told him about it. He even did not read their reports himself. If he had done so, he would have known something about his condition.” Friedhelms youngest son is a smoker, just like his father. “There is no point in talking about it,” he says. “It does not change anything about his condition. My father has always been trying to be strong. I don’t want to take that away from him.” Friedhelm’s youngest daughter Laura is worried and angry with her father. “It is his own fault, if he does not seek a doctor. We have tried to talk to him about it for years! But he refused to listen to us. Nevertheless we all pray for him. There is not much else left we can do for him.“