Emotional TV moment: ex-HSV star Diekmeier opens up about his ill daughter | OneFootball

The HSV home game against BVB took place under the motto “yeswecan!cer.” Dennis Diekmeier, whose own daughter is affected, traveled to the Volksparkstadion for the occasion.

A moving moment at the start of the Bundesliga match between Hamburger SV and Borussia Dortmund went far beyond football. Former HSV pro Dennis Diekmeier returned to his old stomping ground for the match—not as an honorary guest, but as a father whose 14-year-old daughter Delani has been fighting cancer since the spring of this year. The malignant tumor has already reached her lungs, but Delani gives her all every day in the battle against the disease.

Before kickoff, Diekmeier spoke on Sky about HSV’s initiative, as the club promoted the cancer self-help organization “yeswecan!cer” on their jerseys to raise awareness about the importance of early detection. “Huge respect to HSV and HanseMerkur. We want to show people that they should go for check-ups earlier,” said the former right-back.

With tears in his eyes, he spoke about Delani’s tireless efforts: “A year ago, our life was fine. In January, the ground was pulled out from under our feet. My daughter fights brutally every day. Equestrian sports give her a lot of strength.”

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Diekmeier: “We are convinced that she will make it”

Sky reporter Patrick Wasserziehr was also visibly moved as he held up a jersey signed by all HSV players for Delani in front of the camera: “Our thoughts are with Delani. She is 14. I have to be careful not to start crying. This jersey is for you. This is much bigger than football. HSV is a family.”

Diekmeier himself explained where he draws his strength from: “We try every day to approach this positively. We are one hundred percent convinced that she will make it. She is a fierce fighter. The joy for life she radiates despite this illness is enormous.”

In the face of such a moment, the emotional 1-1 draw for HSV truly fades into insignificance.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.