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Four weeks ago, speed specialist Niels Hintermann announced that he was suffering from lymphatic cancer. Now he is speaking for the first time about the time since his diagnosis.
08. November 2024
From: sn
Ski star Niels Hintermann is actually known for his fearless speed performance on the slopes. Now he faces a completely different, much tougher competition: his battle against lymphatic cancer. More than four weeks ago, the 29-year-old downhill star received the devastating diagnosis – news that hit him like a blow. “I was sitting in the car when my medical examiner, Walter O. Frey, called and told me that I had lymphatic cancer. At that moment my life turned 180 degrees,” Hintermann tells Blick.ch emphatically.
Since then, he has been fighting with amazing optimism through his chemotherapy, which is already halfway behind him. However, he lets it be known that the chemotherapy is not leaving him unscathed: “At first I just felt tired all the time, like after a long jet lag. But in the last week it really hit me,” says Hintermann. In addition to exhaustion and chills, he was bothered by a metallic taste in his mouth – a reaction to additional medication that was necessary because of slightly changed blood values.
Hat against hair loss
Despite these complaints, he remains positive and is combative: “My blood values are currently fine. Everything is going according to plan and I’m confident.” Even the increasing hair loss can’t dampen his mood. “I usually wear a hat anyway, and my hair will grow back,” he laughs calmly.
His sport also remains an important companion: despite the strenuous therapy, he regularly sits on the ergometer and does light strength training. “Four times a week, it just has to be,” says Hintermann, for whom physical fitness is a kind of anchor in the fight against the disease.
His hope of attending the World Cup race in Val Gardena in December gives him additional strength – even if he emphasizes that this will ultimately depend on the further course of the treatment. For the fans and the entire ski team, Hintermann’s commitment is a sign of his tireless perseverance.
