The beginning of the end... [January 2024]

Maria (27), mother of Helena (6) and Michelle (4), is on her way from Lower Austria to Nuremberg in her Polo to ‘say goodbye’ to her terminally ill grandmother and to ensure that, just before her strength fails her, her granny can look into the faces of those who love her.

But sadly, it was not to be...

Shortly before Munich, a serious accident occurred involving a lorry, which not only claimed two lives, but turned two more lives upside down.

Helena died instantly in the collision, and her mother lost her battle on the way to hospital.

Michelle is so seriously injured that she is placed in an induced coma.

When Michael (34) (Maria’s brother or stepbrother) hears the news, he immediately sets off for Germany to be with Michelle as soon as possible.

After two and a half weeks, the little girl is out of danger, and after just under three months she is allowed to leave hospital.

Although she will have to live with both mental and physical limitations for the rest of her life, she is in good spirits, laughs, sings, loves to draw, and has found a father in Michael. (As her biological father abandoned the three of them in 2021 for a New Zealander, and he wants nothing to do with her even after the accident.)

For Michael, there isn’t a single day on which he doesn’t struggle, on which he doesn’t feel down, and yet he never gives up and tries to make every day as lovely as possible for Michelle.

And this despite the fact that Michael himself has an 8-year-old daughter, and despite the fact that he himself has physical limitations since he has been on early retirement following his accident at work.

On top of that, this terrible stroke of fate has left him financially ruined and saddled with a mountain of debt. As he paid for Helena and Maria’s funerals and gravestones, racking up a debt of just under €13,000.

Everyone who knows Michi knows what a fighter he is, even though he doesn’t actually look the part at all. He puts himself second every day, is lonely, and sacrifices himself for his ‘two’ daughters.

I hope soooooo much that we can raise €33,000 for Michael and Michelle and finally take some of the burden off him – namely the future treatment and care for Michelle, as well as his funeral debts, which he is paying off month by month, instalment by instalment, whilst scrimping and saving for himself.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and I am incredibly grateful for every single euro, as I know exactly how much this will help this HERO!

Patrick, Tina, Moni and I love you, stay strong, we are incredibly proud of you and your two princesses too!