The seriously ill actor Heinz Hoenig (72) wants to have an operation. His wife Annika Kärsten-Hoenig (39) announced his decision in an RTL interview on Tuesday afternoon. The star of “Das Boot” is fighting for his life in a Berlin clinic; he needs a new aorta and another operation on his esophagus. This procedure in particular carries a number of risks.
Hoenig's wife really wanted him to be able to make the difficult decision himself. That's why the actor, who took part in the RTL jungle camp in January, was even taken out of the induced coma. On May 7th, Annika Kärsten-Hoenig described it in a telephone interview with RTL: "I went back to the clinic yesterday. Then I was informed that the doctors had spoken to Heinz. He was very clear yesterday and fully conscious." The doctors “informed him about his state of health and then explained the various options to him.” The result: "He clearly decided on the surgical route yesterday! Anything else is out of the question for him!"
Later she spoke to him again about his condition and possible treatment methods. "He said to me: 'Annika, we only have this one chance. And we will use this one chance." He added: “Trust me, everything will be fine!”
Words that she will probably never forget - as well as his look: "This hope in his eyes. This belief in it. This incredible strength that I saw in him again." He also assured her that he would not let her down. "I won't abandon you and the children. You are the love of my life and that's worth fighting for!" The couple has been married since 2019 and has two young sons who were born in 2020 and 2022.
The family has been worried about their head of the family for days: On April 30, the 72-year-old was transported to the hospital by helicopter and underwent emergency heart surgery. A stent was inserted. Hoenig now urgently needs a new aorta, and he also has to undergo an operation on his esophagus because of a hole - a dangerous procedure. "If my husband can have an operation on that, then the chance of surviving this operation is very low," Annika Kärsten-Hoenig explained to RTL a few days ago. "And if he has an operation on that, then in principle the esophagus will have to be moved outside. That means that if my husband survives this operation, he will not be able to eat or drink anything for at least nine months and will have to be fed artificially."
There are also financial problems because the actor does not have health insurance. That's why a fundraising campaign was launched. By Tuesday afternoon, more than 117,000 euros had already been collected via the “gofundme” donation platform.
