LIFE AFTER COMA

THE STORY OF HEIKE AND STEFAN

The ARD series ‘Echtes Leben’ presents the moving portrait of a woman, who is looking after her partner, the love of her life, at home. “Suddenly nothing is the same as it was any more,” said Heike, after her partner Stefan fell into a coma following a motorcycle accident. The man who loved to make her laugh is now confined to a nursing wheelchair and has to be fed artificially.

Filmmaker Kristin Raabe has visited the couple for years and has gained a very personal insight into their life together and Heike’s battle for Stefan. Heike feels herself abandoned by the doctors who enabled Stefan to survive. Their prognosis is poor: Stefan will never come out of his coma. Despite this verdict, Heike takes care of Stefan at home and gives him therapy. But she pays a high price. She can hardly leave him alone for a minute; she doesn’t get much sleep. And in addition she has to take care of her three sons. But Stefan really is making progress, slowly, bit by bit.

TEAM
Author and director: Kristin Raabe // Camera: Steffen Bohn // Film editor: Huynh Trang Lam // Sound: Marcel Lepel // Sound mix: Florian Ebrecht // Narrator: Simon Roden // Production assistants: Laura Bleifuß, Isabell Straub // Producer: Tanja Winkler // Production management: Katja Sträter // Executive producers: Thomas Weidenbach and Sarah Zierul // Commissioning editor: Claudia Heiss (WDR)