Medical students as MEDI sponsors: joy of life for children with cancer!

Medical students as MEDI sponsors: joy of life for children with cancer!

In Tübingen, a great initiative ensures that children with cancer can keep a smile on their faces despite difficult times. Medical students have the opportunity to become active as “MEDI sponsors” and offer valuable support to the young patients in the children's cancer clinic. The idea behind this sponsorship? To give the children a distraction from their illness and create beautiful moments that provide a bit of normality.

Florina, a nine-year-old girl, is a living example of the positive impact of this initiative. She has had a godmother named Laura for a year and a half. “I meet with Laura once or twice a week,” she says beaming. These hours together, where they play, paint or even cook together, not only lift their spirits, but also relieve boredom during the long hospital stays. Laura, a 26-year-old medical student, also finds this time a welcome change from the stressful everyday life at university. “It's nice to be with the children,” she says, “it gives me the opportunity to switch off and do something good.”

How does the sponsorship work?

The “MEDI sponsors” visit their godchildren regularly and offer them not only entertainment, but also emotional support. These activities are tailored individually based on the children's wishes. For example, there was even a Halloween party that gave the little patients great experiences. Parents also benefit from sponsorship: they experience significant relief, both emotionally and physically, while caring for their child's medical care.

The initiative was launched three years ago by Linda Maschke and Niclas Wiebe. The two medical students from the University of Tübingen have created a really good project. Linda emphasizes the advantages of the small age difference between the sponsors and the children, which makes it easier to establish a connection. It is also important that sponsorships are organized based on language similarities so that barriers between the sponsors and their godchildren can be overcome.

Looking into the future

Since then, the project has resulted in around 50 sponsorships and impressively shows how important human closeness and communication are in medicine. The initiators have big plans: They want to expand their concept to all German university children's hospitals as well as to Austria and Switzerland so that even more children with cancer can benefit from this valuable program.

In Tübingen, the aim is not only to heal from a medical perspective; Compassion and humanity are also in focus. This human interaction not only brings joy to the sick, but also enriches the medical students' future professional experience.

If you would like to find out more about the MEDI Paten Initiative, visit the corresponding website. SWR Aktuell also regularly reports on the progress and activities of the sponsorship projects in Tübingen.