Menu

Rare, chronic, invisible: putting a face on disabilities and illnesses

03/12/2019

Photo: Celebrity getting out of a limousine at the red carpet and being photographed by media representatives; Copyright: PantherMedia/Corepics

When famous personalities fall ill, the social sympathy is usually great. People with chronic illnesses in particular benefit when "their" illness gets a familiar face.

Photo: A group of teenagers taking a picture of themselves; Copyright: PantherMedia/Lev Dolgachov

Life with a chronic illness is a particular challenge for children and adolescents. Programs such as the KfH's "finally adult" programme are designed to help them to deal responsibly with their illness and also to find like-minded people.

Growing up in difficult circumstances

Photo: People with umbrellas. On every umbrella is printed the name of a rare disease; Copyright: ACHSE e.V.

Although they are rare, they affect 300 million people worldwide. In other words, rare in this case actually means quite a lot of people but you can’t always tell just by looking at them.

Self-help on social media

Photo: Anne Hofmann; Copyright: private