Dirk Hellrung

Dirk lives in Essen, Germany with his wife and has two grown up sons.  

In 2003 his older son was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at the age of five and underwent treatment for 4 years, including a relapse and a stem cell transplantation. During this challenging time, the family received a lot of support from clinicians, caregivers and volunteers. This experience helped Dirk to engage in a local parents’ organisation, first as a volunteer, later as a member of the board. 

Today he is a member of the patient advisory board of the DKFZ, Germany’s biggest research institute for cancer research.  

In 2022, Dirk himself was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. As he is benefiting from progress made in research over the last 20 years, it is an easy step for him to engage with initiatives that bring research one step ahead, following the vision “Cure more, Cure better”. Being interested in research from his profession as an engineer, he appreciates that cancer research is asking for the patients’ view.  Dirk believes that including different perspectives will bring research to the point with faster and more convenient results. As a learning from his professional career and the working style in the field of childhood cancer, he believes cooperation between researchers, clinicians, industry and patients is a key for success. 

As a former marathon runner, Dirk enjoys physical activities of all kinds and is happy about the possibilities his treatment is allowing him.