What is it about?
The Rosi initiative supports women who are suffering from cancer, such as cervical cancer or ovarian cancer. In the current, purpose-oriented rooms, the patients’ thoughts revolve around the illness, because everything reminds them of it. With easy-to-implement remodeling, we can make a huge difference in treatment.
The goal is a healing and beneficial environment for women in a serious health crisis. An environment that strengthens the courage to face life and self-healing powers and in which dead waiting time becomes lively, meaningfully fulfilled time. However, this requires a holistic approach that offers not only rest, retreat and security but also content: learning and meeting opportunities in which those affected experience themselves not only as treated but also as actors and can develop self-determined and self-effective positive strategies and perspectives.
The Rosi Initiative
Prof. Dr. med. Jalid Sehouli and Tina Müller jointly founded the Rosi initiative — named after Tina’s late mother Roswitha. Rosi was a mother, wife, colleague, friend and advisor. When she found out about her cancer, her life changed radically, as she had to spend a lot of time in cold therapy rooms from then on. Her daughter Tina accompanied her and thus experienced the premises and circumstances for herself. This picture is also familiar to Prof. Sehouli. As director of the Clinic for Gynecology at the Charité, he represents a comprehensive therapeutic approach that also includes the well-being and courage of the patients. The therapy room offers enormous potential to strengthen this vital force. That is why the Rosi initiative comes into play here and would like to redesign this space.
The # fürRosi initiative with many supporters has existed since April 2018. This includes prominent (by choice and heartfelt) Berliners, but also Germany-wide supporters. And it includes people like you and me because we all know women and sisters, aunts and daughters, friends and important women of all kinds who are affected. As a first step, we used a crowdfunding campaign to appeal to “real” men (those in whom the heart is stronger than the biceps). Jurassica Parka, Herbert Grönemeyer, Roberto Blanco, Rolf Scheider, Mike Adler, Moritz Rinke, as well as the footballers from Berlin Hertha and the handball players from Füchse Berlin helped.
The Concept
For Rosi, it has always been a concern to improve the therapy rooms. Her daughter has taken on this concern.
Based on her mother’s experiences, Tina has developed a room concept that is supposed to make the treatment more bearable. The patients should be given the opportunity to spend their lives meaningfully instead of just sitting down. Therefore, the therapy room is being completely redesigned. The use of natural wood, warm light and a fragrance system should promote physical well-being. With the Rosi initiative, we also want to create a diverse range of content. This should include, for example, language courses, guest lectures and themed mornings, but also entertainment media or free cosmetic and nutritional advice. Spending time with loved ones is part of it. A warm and secure environment should enable women to distract themselves, to relax and, as far as possible, to feel good.