Matthias Hoffmann

“Life is something that just happens, while we thought of something different.”

Henry Miller

At the beginning of the year 2008, Matthias made several trips the Middleast. It had taken many years for his architectural office to enjoy success, but by midyear of 2008 Matthias and his associate were ready to set up business there.

In March 2008 Matthias fell ill, thinking he had the flu, and some rest might make him heal faster. Days passed, but the symptoms prevailed. Eventually, after having been pressed by his friend Till Wehrmann, professor at the Clinic for Diagnostics in Wiesbaden, he committed himself into the hospital and received a thorough examination by several specialists. A fine fissure in the aorta made an emergency operation unavoidable. During that same night Matthias was operated on in the clinic of the Mainz University and a part of the aorta was replaced by an artificial implant. Everything went well and Matthias recovered quickly.

A second operation on the carotid artery was necessary – no complications either. Afterwards, Matthias was allowed to go home and he spent a week recovering, visiting friends, cooking, and playing in the yard with his cats, Bingo and Kuba.

At the end of April a third operation was scheduled. It was deemed necessary to patch up a small cavity in the aorta. During this open heart surgery the aorta was successfully operated on. But during this third operation on April 26th, 2008, Matthias´ brain was temporarily cut off from oxygen, thus leading to epileptic seizures lasting for hours after the operation, ...

... and thus Matthias suffered bilateral diffuse hypoxic brain damage - a severe form of brain damage.