Poverty means ‘falling apart piece by piece’: A story of resilience

It was in 2016 that the life of Christiane Kraetsch slowly started to collapse.

Kraetsch, 65, worked as an educator in different schools and children’s gardens in southwest Germany, when she started to feel bad. It would take years before receiving a diagnosis of leukemia during the coronavirus pandemic.

Restrictions linked to the virus meant that it was not possible for potential stem cell donors to travel from abroad, she recalls, which made a match all the more difficult.

Left -handed

In 2021, the family, who lives in the sleeping city of Ingelheim, near the Rhine river, suffered another blow.

Kraetsch’s husband has received a diagnosis of lung cancer, which means that he also had to abandon his job in a technological company in Mayenz nearby and start counting on disability services.

Kraetsch was lucky when one of his three children was found unexpectedly as an appropriate stem cell donor in an extremely rare turn of events, she said.

But despite her improved health, she is no longer able to work on her old work.

The absence of income meant the life of the couple as they knew – two cars, on vacation, outings with families and friends – ended.

Their circle of friends has become more and smaller because he became clear who were their real friends, says Kraetsch. “We could not allow ourselves to continue to participate.”

As she says, relying on a cane, Kraetsch’s voice is free from resentment.

But she wants others to know her story, she said. “I hope people open their eyes a little and wonder.”

Financial tests

“We were forced to dive into our savings,” said Kraetsch, noting that the money they had put aside quickly.

Payments for medicines, hospital stay costs, increased subsistence costs and costs for the car necessary for appointments with the doctor and purchases continued to accumulate.

“We haven’t been on vacation for years,” said Kraetsch. “It collapses piece by piece, it’s like a spiral, you cannot see a way out,” she said about the couple’s new reality.

Asking your children financial aid is a red line for the 65 -year -old man, not by pride or shame, but because of a clear inner conviction, as she says. “They shouldn’t have to take things we can no longer afford.”

On the contrary, it is important for Kraetsch to be able at least to give his children something for their birthdays, even if it is only a small gift.

Regarding food purchases, she takes great care not to waste money, noting that eating healthy is a challenge for people with a tight budget.

Their limited income means that the couple has around € 150 ($ 175) to lose each month after fixed costs, including rent and car.

At the end of the month, Kraetsch regularly slipped into his overdraft due to financial constraints, she said.

The things she liked to do during her free time often falls on the edge of the road, like going swimming. When buying clothes, she often turns to second -hand stores.

One of the many

The Kraetsch family is not an isolated case. A recent exposure to Massez highlighted the fate of people living in poverty in the state of Rhine-Palatine. Kraetsch’s testimony is the only one who presents a photo – in a clear sign of stigma that always surrounds the problem.

A former truck driver depicted in the exhibition had to abandon his work at 50 after having undergone a slipped disc and ended up finding himself indebted.

Another woman has considerably reduced her hours to be able to take care of her parents for years, which meant that her retirement rate fell below the poverty line.

Others detail the feeling of panic they experience during the imagination of their washing machine could break, because they simply would not be able to afford a new one.

The fight to get help

In 2022, some 92,000 people in Rhenish-Palatine received state payments intended to guarantee the livelihoods of those who cannot continue to work for health reasons, according to a report by the German Union Confederation (DGB).

But in reality, the advantages have left more than 79% of women and more than 61% of men below the risk of poverty.

Anyone who has to manage on less than 60% of median income is considered a risk of poverty.

According to the Statistical State Office, 18.4% of women and 15.7% of men risked poverty in Rhineland-Palatine in 2023.

This means that a large part of the population depends on external aid, but getting help is not easy, Kraetsch knows.

It cites excessive administrative formalities and a lack of information, whether by hospitals or authorities, as the main obstacles to people in its situation. “You are really left alone.”

She is currently fighting to obtain dental treatment at a price she can afford.

“You fear for your existence,” explains Kraetsch – and you have to face it alone.

She does not want to load her husband, who already suffers a lot from her illness. “It often keeps me awake at night.”

Take time for herself helps, she said. Kraetsch likes to leave everything behind and walk along the Rhine river, which winds through the lush valleys of the winemaking region which she calls at home.