A great honor for our Chairwoman of the Association
“I am very pleased to be able to convey to you, with the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon, another well-deserved recognition for your active contribution to a healthy and self-confident society,” emphasized the Senator.
Sabine von Wegerer has been volunteering for people with for more than 25 years Liver. The trigger was the hepatitis C infection of a family member, she was looking for a self-help group for relatives in 1995 and has been active in self-help ever since. In 1997, together with others, she founded Berliner Leberring e.V. Since 2000, Sabine von Wegerer has been the 1st chairwoman of the association.
Commitment to liver patients as a matter close to the heart
The family member who gave the impetus to deal with the topic of liver disease has been cured of hepatitis C infection for a long time. But Sabine von Wegerer has made her commitment to liver patients a matter close to her heart and life’s work. It is the center of the Berliner Leberring e.V. She has established good contacts with doctors and institutions for the association, she organizes events and lectures and advises those affected and their relatives.
For some years now, there have been drugs that treat hepatitis C in almost all cases within weeks. The lengthy treatment with many serious side effects is thus a thing of the past. As a result, the need for advice has also decreased. The focus of the association has therefore shifted. Other liver diseases such as fatty liver, hepatitis B and E as well as autoimmune liver diseases are now the focus of consultations and activities.
Counselling centre for people with hepatic porphyrias
In addition, porphyrias, a group of rare diseases, have been another focus of the association’s work since 2008. Sabine von Wegerer has also acquired extensive knowledge in this field in order to be able to help those affected. The meetings of the self-help group for people with hepatic porphyrias are attended by patients from all over Germany.
The Berliner Leberring e.V. is today a recognized voluntary counseling center for porphyria patients in Germany. Together with the Charité, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Sabine von Wegerer has already organized three symposia on porphyria diseases. Specialists from Germany and Switzerland gave lectures, affected people from all over Germany came to the events. Preparations for the next Porphyria Symposium are already underway.
Giving experts a voice on their own behalf
Sabine von Wegerer is in her work for the Berliner Leberring e.V. today by ten employees, all of whom are also volunteers. With her many years of intensive voluntary commitment, she is undoubtedly a role model for others. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the association in 2022, their commitment will now also be officially honored. She was a pioneer in the effort to ensure that those affected are perceived as “experts on their own behalf” as experts, emphasized Senator Ulrike Gote.
“The fact that the Berliner Leberring e.V. has been around for 25 years now and that it now has a wide range of services for those affected and has also made a name for itself through excellent cooperation with doctors in this city, is primarily due to the 25 years of continuous and voluntary commitment of Ms. von Wegerer,” emphasizes Prof. Rajan Somasundaram, Medical Director of the Emergency Department at the Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin.
