My story/motivation
My name is Fabian Janik and I live in Mannheim. I have been seriously ill with ME/CFS since October 2020. The disease has completely torn me out of my former life: I had a great wife and our little daughter was on the way (she was born in December 2020). My job was exhausting and demanding, but I enjoyed it. Back then, I was slim, sporty and had no financial worries.
Within a few months, I was completely bedridden, suddenly severely disabled, in need of full care and unable to work. Being a father and husband, as well as social contacts, were no longer possible.
The last few years were brutal, sometimes agonizing, humiliating. They were accompanied by pain, fear and sadness. Tortured by the summer heat, the noise of agricultural machinery in the summer of 2021 (when I lived in the countryside for a short time), the noise of construction sites and events in the city of Mannheim, I was trapped in a state of absolute helplessness.
Since December 2024, things have been looking up and I have decided to tell my story and give the horrible disease ME/CFS a face in order to educate, network and give hope.
My life with ME/CFS is characterized by daily challenges - physically, emotionally and financially. I would like to share all of this with you in the future.
I'm incredibly excited to finally be able to interact with the outside world again after four years of darkness and social isolation (and an estimated 15 to 20 kilos heavier).
What will I write about and how often?
I don't know exactly yet. It depends a lot on my condition. Of course, I'll also talk about my ME/CFS disease, but not only that. Possibly also about local topics, current issues in politics, sport and society or other things that are on my mind. My aim is to publish something every two weeks. Let me surprise you and check back from time to time.
Curriculum vitae
Personal
- Born: July 07, 1986 in Bonn
- 2 brothers (born 1989, 1991)
- March 2020: Wedding
- October 2020: Outbreak of the disease ME/CFS
- December 2020: Birth of daughter Marie Laetitia ("Tizi")
- February 2023: Divorce
- March 2025: Testicular cancer and surgery
Education
- 1992 - 1996: Peter Witte Elementary School Berlin-Wittenau
- in Mannheim since 1996
- 1996 - 2005: Karl-Friedrich-Gymnasium Mannheim
- 2005 - 2006: Nine months Travel & Work in Australia
- 2006 - 2012: University of Mannheim, Diploma program in Business Education (Degree: Diploma)
- 2009: Two semesters abroad at the University of Adelaide (Australia)
Professional
- Internships at John Deere-Werke, Südzucker AG, Karl Berrang GmbH
- BASF (2012 - 2016)
- Speaker BASF Training Verbund
- Bauhaus (2016 - 2020)
- Assistant Head of HR / Project Management and Fundamental Issues 02/16-03/20
- HR Manager Strategy, Projects and Digitalization (04-12/20)
Voluntary commitment
- Four years as SMV treasurer, one year as deputy student representative
- Three years as sports officer, one year as finance officer of the AStA of the University of Mannheim
- 15 years of soccer refereeing in the Mannheim district
Hobbies and interests
Sports enthusiast, especially soccer
- long time as a player in various clubs (in Berlin: 1. FC Lübars; in
Mannheim: TSV 1846, ESC Blau-Weiß, Spvgg 07, DJK Feudenheim) - Barackler (supporter of SV Waldhof Mannheim) with heart and soul, most recently
Season ticket holder - Ice hockey: Fan of the Mannheim Eagles - many years of season tickets
- Borussia Mönchengladbach sympathizer
- American Football (NFL): enthusiastic fantasy football player
Games
- Since 2000 I have been playing the trading card game Magic The Gathering with hundreds of tournaments, 2x qualification for the German championship - the last (healthy) years only online due to time constraints.
- Parlor and board games (2 x participation in the German Board Game Championship (DMMiB)). My favorite games include Terraforming Mars, Santa Maria, Qwixx, Dominion, Fauna and Bezzerwizzer.
Travel
- Have been on the road every vacation (long-distance trips, hiking and wellness vacations, city trips).
Hiking
- Every free Sunday 2-3 hours hiking in the Palatinate or in the Odenwald, in summer hiking around Maria Alm (Austria) and traveling.
Photography
- Wildlife and travel photography: Sony Alpha and telephoto zoom lenses (Sony E 4.5-6.3/70-350 G OSS and Sony E 3.5-6.3/18-200 OSS LE) were always with me when hiking or traveling.
Skiing
- I went skiing in Maria Alm every winter for almost 30 years.
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