After Heinz Hoenig (72)’s risky operation on Monday (May 13th), his wife Annika Kärsten-Hoenig (39) has now addressed the public with an initial health update. In an Instagram story, she thanked the countless people who recently showed such touching concern for the actor and wrote: “Dear ones, Heinz survived the first operation thanks to the wonderful doctors and the clinic team.”
Her thanks go to “each and every one of you,” the emotional post continues – “for believing in him, sending him strength and encouragement, praying for him and lighting candles and also sending me such incredibly positive energy with loving messages leaves”.
She is currently with her husband, who is recovering from the operation to remove his esophagus. At the time of her posting, Hoenig appears to have not yet woken up from the anesthesia. It says that she “longs for the moment to be able to look into his blue eyes again.”
As great as her joy may be right now, she is also aware of how long the road still lies ahead of her husband. But even the longest journey always begins with the first step. She summarizes optimistically: “We continue to try to see everything that lies ahead not as a problem that scares us, but as an opportunity that gives us hope! Hope for time together and a further life together.”
Kärsten-Hoenig told the “Bild” newspaper about a week ago that a bacterial inflammation had spread to Hoenig’s entire aorta and that a stent inserted into the actor in 2012 was damaged. A new stent was then inserted. To make matters worse, a hole was discovered in his esophagus. After a few days, doctors took him out of an induced coma so that he could make his own decision about what to do next.
Hoenig decided on the operations, the first of which has now been completed. The star will only be able to undergo surgery on the aorta once he has recovered sufficiently from the first serious procedure.
