Tanja Szewczenko The ice skating star and the fight against life-threatening viruses
28 years ago, Tanja Szewczenko was battling two life-threatening viruses in her body. This week, the ice skating star shared her fate on Instagram. The reason: one of the viruses is said to have reactivated.
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- In 1996, two viruses threatened the life of ice skating star Tanja Szewczenko.
- As a result, the German athlete, who won bronze at the 1994 World Championships, had to take a long break from competitive sport.
- Now the 46-year-old has reported back from a clinic after apparently reactivating one of the viruses.
"After almost 30 years, a dormant virus has reactivated," writes Tanja Szewczenko on her Instagram account. The 46-year-old accompanies the text with a picture of herself lying in a hospital bed.
However, the former figure skater and actress ("Unter Uns", "Alles was zählt") refuses to let the old acquaintance get her down: "This time I'm prepared."
Tanja Szewczenko: "I could have died from it"
Figure skating fans will remember: in 2017, Szewczenko, who won bronze at the 1994 World Championships, revealed in the VOX documentary "Eternal Heroes" that she had fallen seriously ill as a young woman.
"It was a combination of two different types of virus that completely destroyed my body's immune system."
She continued: "I could have died from it. So it really was five to twelve when it was properly discovered and treatment was then started." As a result, Tanja Szewczenko had to take a long break from competitive sport.
Since the complicated viral infection in 1996, Szewczenko has undergone regular medical check-ups and preventative treatment.
"This time, the blood analysis revealed that one of my two old virus enemies is active again," writes the mother of three on Instagram.
Tanja Szewczenko undergoes immunotherapy
According to the magazine "Bunte ", Tanja Szewczenko has already received an amino acid infusion and is also undergoing immunotherapy on the advice of her doctor.
"That's why my natural killer cells are being collected today. That's the first part of the therapy," says Szewczenko. The actress was connected to a machine that filters her blood for two hours in order to collect the required cells.
Szewczenko is in luck: this treatment does not require a lengthy stay in hospital. Instead, she can now relax with her family.
Together with her husband Norman Jeschke and their children, Szewczenko will spend the next few days in the mountains before continuing her treatment from July 29.