There's no time to lose: Jörg Dahlmann (67) must undergo urgent surgery this coming Thursday. The former soccer commentator and jungle camp participant was diagnosed with liver cancer, as he publicly announced last week - it is already the fourth cancer diagnosis in his life. "The surgery is urgent because the cancer cells are multiplying rapidly in the diseased organ", Dahlmann now specified to "Bild".
He is being treated at the University Hospital Mainz. He has great confidence in his surgeon, as he tells the newspaper: "Of course I'm afraid, but I'm also confident." The fact that both he and his doctor are fans of FC Schalke is also helpful.
Partner Won't Leave His Side
The doctors' plan: They want to remove the affected right lobe of the liver. After that, there is hope that the left lobe will grow back and take over the functions of the missing part. Afterward, Dahlmann must spend several more days in intensive care.
Fortunately, he is not alone during this time. His partner Claudia Pöhlmann (51) is accompanying him to the hospital. "I'm grateful to her for that. When I wake up from anesthesia, she'll be at my bedside. That's proof of love", Dahlmann says happily. The two have been a couple for three years and live sometimes in Mallorca, sometimes in Wiesbaden.
"A Crappy Diagnosis"
Jörg Dahlmann must fight cancer for the fourth time. In 2005 he received a diagnosis of colon cancer, later followed by skin cancer and in 2016 prostate cancer - each time associated with surgery. Behind the recurring illnesses is a genetic cause: the so-called Lynch syndrome, a hereditary condition that massively increases cancer risk. Dahlmann makes an appeal from his experience: "Fortunately, the cancer was always detected early in my case and I survived. That's why I can only advise everyone: Go for regular checkups!"
How much his renewed illness concerns him despite all his confidence is made clear by the 67-year-old in "Mallorca Magazin": "At the moment I'm obviously feeling so-so. It's a crappy diagnosis, there's no sugarcoating it. It occupies your mind from morning to night." He is an optimistic person, but "at some point it might not turn out well anymore. It's my fourth cancer diagnosis. At some point it's game over. But I very much hope that this time it's still repairable."
