Photo: Getty Images
TV presenter Miriam Pielhau
When Miriam Pielhau learned that she had breast cancer, she was just 33 years old. A shock diagnosis for the young TV presenter ("Big Brother", RTL2), because she felt healthy, practiced sport, paid attention to her diet. Now in NEW POST she tells of the most terrible moments of her life and how she defeated the deadly disease.
The most important question first - how are you?
Miriam Pielhau : Good. I feel strong. Even if you can only be sure in five years that the cancer will not come back.
What made you decide to go public with your very private Cancer Diary?
Miriam Pielhau : Most of the cancer biographies I read were depressing. I wanted to write a book that makes hope. Because when the soul is set up to fight, then the body moves.
How did you notice that something was wrong?
Miriam Pielhau : When palpating the chest. I went to the doctor who sent me to mammography. And then they discovered a lot of micro-lime in their breasts, a precursor to cancer. Then came the tests ...
How did you feel about this time of uncertainty?
Miriam Pielhau : I was packed in cotton. I did not want to admit it. When I heard the diagnosis "not benign", I could not even think of the word "cancer". It is as if the soul wants to protect itself from this psychic accident that is coming.
Which was the worst phase of the disease?
Miriam Pielhau : That was before the operation. I felt the naked fear of death. It's like an ice pack that sails into the tissue. At the same time, one of them looks bad and black now. At that moment, one is sure to live only a few seconds.
How could you overcome this fear?
Miriam Pielhau : By actively engaging with my illness. I shaved my bald head before my hair fell out due to chemotherapy. I did not want to passively wait until the disease did something to me, but take the matter into my own hands.
... and that's why you ran a half marathon in Berlin during the chemotherapy?
Miriam Pielhau : I literally ran away from fate. And this for the second time. In 2004, when I was on vacation in Thailand, I was almost overwhelmed by the tsunami and ran for my life.
How did the illness change your life?
Miriam Pielhau : I used to have days when I was in the morning in Cologne, at noon in Berlin, in the evening in Hamburg. Today I enjoy having nothing to do.
How did your partner react to the events?
Miriam Pielhau : He always stood by my side. Although it was worse for him because he could not act like me. It brought us even closer together.
Are you planning to start a family?
Miriam Pielhau : Yes, that would be very nice now.
