Diphtheria

It begins in the throat. A scratching that cannot be cleared. Then difficulty swallowing, as if something has lodged itself in your throat that will neither go down nor come up. The mucous membrane becomes inflamed, forms grey-white membranes that narrow the airway. In severe cases, breathing itself becomes an effort — a struggle for air that triggers existential fear.

Diphtheria is a bacterial infectious disease. The pathogen is known, the medical treatment clear. And at the same time a question arises that goes beyond microbiology: why you? Why now? What in your inner life has created a breeding ground in which this symptom could unfold — this specific threat that literally takes your breath and robs you of your voice?