Cancer doesn’t just affect the person who’s sick; more often than not, the diagnosis changes the daily lives of the entire family. This is exactly where the ANKKER program comes in: On June 19 and 20, the program for children of parents with cancer at the NCT Heidelberg, in collaboration with the Psychosozialen Krebsberatungsstelle Nordbaden (North Baden Psychosocial Cancer Counseling Center), invited eight families. They spent two days enjoying a break at the Manfred Sauer Foundation in Lobbach.

The focus of the retreat wasn’t on the illness, but on shared experiences: family members of all ages tried their hand at archery and blew giant soap bubbles, created their own jewelry, solved tricky puzzles, and explored the grounds as a team during a family scavenger hunt. With tropical temperatures, there was no shortage of water fun either. There was also room for quieter moments in the foundation’s spacious garden, time to connect with others facing similar challenges – and, above all, lots of fun!

That is precisely what makes this program so valuable: in a safe and supportive environment, families can come together who know what it feels like and what it means when a parent is diagnosed with cancer. Cancer is considered a “we disease” – a condition that can affect the entire family.

However, support services are often aimed only at individuals. The Family Retreat, developed by the Department of Psycho-Oncology at NCT Heidelberg, fills this gap: it is a two-day retreat with overnight accommodations, open to families at any stage of the illness.

This was the third time the retreat has been held. The families were invited thanks to funding from the “Donations Against Cancer” program at NCT Heidelberg.