Zoo Station: The Story of Christiane F. (48 page)
Read Zoo Station: The Story of Christiane F. Online
Authors: Christiane F,Christina Cartwright
35. DT is short for delirium tremens, a psychiatric disorder, usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol addiction.
36. A public park in the borough of Neukölln. Hasenheide literally means “rabbits' heath” or “rabbits' field.”
37. In Germany, after the age of fourteen, minors are allowed drink alcoholic beverages, such as beer and wine, as long as they are in the company of their parents.
38. A popular card game in Germany at the time—especially among men.
39. The Eurocheck was a type of check used in Europe that was accepted across national borders and that could be written in a variety of currencies. Eurochecks were particularly popular in German-speaking countries, where they were often issued as standard domestic checks.
40. Tübingen is a university town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, about twenty miles south of the state capitol of Stuttgart.
41. One of the Berlin dailies.
42. On February 10, 1978, Heinz G. was sentenced to three-and-a-half years imprisonment by Berlin's state court for passing heroin to Christiane and Babsi, as well as for the sexual abuse of another child.
43. RAF is short for Royal Air Force, the British national air force.
44. Hanns Martin Schleyer was one of several people who had been kidnapped and/or murdered by the West German terrorist group RAF in the 1970s and early 1980s. He was the president of the West German federal employers' union and was targeted partly because of his past as an SS officer in the Nazi regime. He was kidnapped and murdered in the fall of 1977.
45. These advertising pillars were invented by the Berlin-born printer Ernst Litfass in 1854. They are cylindrical outdoor sidewalk structures with a characteristic style that are used for advertising, public announcements, and other purposes. They are common in Berlin, where the first hundred columns were installed in 1855, but can be found all over Germany, and also in Paris, where they are called colonne Morris (Morris columns).
46. Cirrhosis is a chronic liver disease most commonly caused by alcoholism, hepatitis B and C, and fatty liver disease. Cirrhosis is generally irreversible, and in advanced stages of cirrhosis the only option is a liver transplant.
47. Bounty is the German version of the American candy bar Mounds.
48. West Berlin was an “island” within East Germany, so to get to West Germany from West Berlin, residents had to make two border crossings: once in going from West Berlin to East Germany and then again when moving into West Germany.
49. The Gedächtniskirche is one of the most well-known landmarks in Berlin. The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church (in German, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche, but mostly its' just known as Gedächtniskirche) is located on the Kurfürstendamm not far from the Zoo. The original church on the site was built in the 1890s. During World War II, on the night of November 23, 1943, the church was irreparably damaged in an air raid. The damaged spire of the old church was retained, and its ground floor was made into a memorial hall.
50. One of Germany's large department stores, a chain, which still exists to this day.
51. In Germany, Christmas is celebrated over two days, December 25 and 26.
52. Erich Fromm was a renowned psychoanalyst and social philosopher who in 1956 wrote The Art of Loving which argues that true love involves four basic elements: care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge. One of the book's central concepts is the idea of self-love. According to Fromm, loving oneself is quite different from arrogance or egocentrism, and one must have achieved self-love before being able to love someone else.
NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
www.drugabuse.gov
This organization conducts scientific research studies on the effects and prevalence of drug abuse in the United States.
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Treatment Locaton
www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov
1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357)
The SAMHSA website's treatment locator helps you find drug, alcohol, and mental health treatment resources in your city.
The Partnership at Drugfree.org
1-855-DRUGFREE (1-855-378-4373)
http://www.drugfree.org/
A guide for parents on how to prevent, intervene, treat, and recover from a teen drug problem.
TeenDrugAddiction.com
Teens and their families seeking help with an alcohol or drug addiction can find
information on drug use, types of drugs, symptoms, intervention, and therapy.
The Alcohol & Drug Addiction Resource Center
www.addict-help.com
Drug and alcohol abuse information and online treatment locator.
National Runaway Switchboard
1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929)
www.1800runaway.org
A resource for teen runaways or teens who are thinking of running away from home, and those who care about them.
Covenant House
1-800-999-9999
www.covenanthouse.org
A religious organization that provides shelter and resources for homeless kids and teens.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
A hotline with resources for anyone feeling suicidal, or friends and family of someone who may be suicidal.
Sexually Transmitted Disease & AIDS/HIV Hotline
1-800-332-2437
This hotline provides information and resources for treating STD's, HIV, and AIDS.
CDC (Center for Disease Control) National Prevention Information Network
1-800-458-5231
http://www.cdcnpin.org/
Their website and hotline provide information about the prevention of HIV, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases.
RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network)
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
www.rainn.org
Their website and hotline offer resources for victims of sexual abuse.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
A hotline providing resources for victims of domestic violence and those who care about them.
ChildHelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline
1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)
Call for child abuse counseling and referrals.
Boys Town
1-800-448-3000
www.boystown.org
Their website and hotline provide resources for suicide prevention, abuse, chemical dependency, depression, and more.
All About Counseling
1-800-521-7128
www.allaboutcounseling.com
Information about and resources for addiction, mental health issues, and abuse. Call for a free referral to a drug rehabilitation center.
Helpguide
www.helpguide.org
Information about addictions as well as abuse, suicide prevention, depression, grief, and other issues. Addiction resources include what to look out for, symptoms, and how to overcome a drug addiction.
Find Youth Info
www.findyouthinfo.gov
Information, tools, and resources for teens and their families regarding mental health, dating, violence, substance abuse, LGBT issues, and more.
Zoo Station: The Story of Christiane F.
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Keep reading to preview a sample of
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Autumn, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Disclaimer: I've decided to start a blog about what it's like to get a life-threatening disease. Some of the content will therefore be too heavy for some people.
I
had just come home from school and didn't have a care in the world. Then Mom walked in, and right away I realized something was wrong. She had tears in her eyes. The doctor had called, and they suspected leukemia. I had to go to the hospital as soon as possible for a bone marrow biopsy.
1
Right away I felt like my life had been shattered. I was crying my eyes out. I had a million conflicting emotions, but more than anything else, I was scared.
At the hospital in Kristiansund they started right out with the tests. The biopsy wasn't pleasant at all—I was shocked at how painful it was. And then I had to wait three hours for the results. I sat around at the hospital with Mom and Dad until the doctor came in. We were nervous and scared. He had tears in his eyes: I had leukemia, more specifically AML (acute myelogenous leukemia
2
). I could feel the fear spreading
all through my body when he said that. Cancer. The whole family was crushed. I couldn't stop asking myself: Is this a death sentence?
On Monday, August 25, we drove to Trondheim. That's where I had to go for treatment.
I was referred to the adult unit, where I had to take another bone marrow biopsy. This time it was going to be even more extensive than what they'd done before. In this kind of a biopsy, they have to drill out a bit of bone, and it's incredibly painful. I could feel my whole body jerk when the doctor yanked the piece out.
After that they showed us around the unit. It was like going down into hell. There was a small narrow hallway, old people, and one nineteen-year old. The first thing I thought when I saw him was “poor guy.” The doctor told me I might not get a single room. Damn it. I started crying. In the end though, I got my own room, but it was small and run-down. How would I manage to stay there for so long? I wondered. We asked the doctor if I could be placed in the children's unit. At first, he said no, but we kept at it, and the third time he said he'd try to arrange it. It worked. Third time's a charm.
After a while I was moved to the children's unit. They told us the cutoff age was eighteen. So then why the hell was I put in the adult unit in the first place? I get irritated just thinking about it. I'm glad I'm not eighteen.
The children's unit was much better—renovated and a lot larger. The rooms were big and had flatscreen TVs. There was even space for my family. My mood got way better, even though I still felt really sick.
On Friday, August 29, Regine's mother, Julianne, wrote in her diary:
We're now at Day 5 in the Trondheim hospital, and it's been exactly one week since we found out that Regine had acute leukemia. Who could have possibly seen this coming? In the blink of an eye we went
from being blissfully unaware to being devastated by desperation, pain, and a sense of injustice. Why would this happen to our dearest possession—our lovely, intelligent daughter, who's never hurt anyone? Everything I've ever seen from her shows that she's a good person through and through. Still, it's happening; it seems unreal. Can this actually be happening? It's unbearable.
