ME/CFS patients are fighting for visibility and for their lives: For many years, people with ME/CFS were let down by politics and the healthcare system. Now research is gaining momentum – too late for some, but others can still have hope.

Light, sounds, touch – Mia can barely bear them anymore. For years, ME/CFS has forced her into darkness and isolation. Kathi, too, loved life until the illness confined her to bed and ultimately robbed her of any perspective. Two stories among an estimated 40 million people affected worldwide, 650,000 of them in Germany. After decades of underfunding, research is still in its early stages. But new funding offers hope: Where does research stand today – and what future prospects are there for those affected?

Featuring:

Prof. Dr. med. Carmen Scheibenbogen, leading researcher for ME/CFS, Charité Berlin
MdB Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach, former Federal Minister of Health (2021-2025)
Johanna Müller, Protagonist TRU Doku, takes care of her sister Mia
Joana Welsing and Johanna Wolff, friends of Kathi, who chose assisted suicide because of a severe case of ME/CFS

Moderation: Eric Mayer, ZDF

Panel by 37° and TRU Doku