Balthasar children’s hospice – a place to live and laugh, to die and grieve
“Your child is terminally ill; there is nothing we can do for your child.” A diagnosis like this means a huge change for the family. Every year, more than 4000 children in Germany are diagnosed with life-shortening conditions. These conditions affect the whole family and very often lead to a feeling of overload and collapse – nothing will ever be the same again. Caring for the diseased child is the first priority and, at the same time, everything else becomes less important.
Very often months, sometimes even years, pass between the diagnosis and the death of a child. This time is also very exhausting for both the child’s parents and siblings. In order to provide support for the families, Balthasar was set up in September 1998 as Germany’s first children’s hospice.
