KIEL. Professor Dr. Hartmut Göbel was awarded the Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Federal President Joachim Gauck. Prime Minister Torsten Albig presented the award on Thursday, February 28th in Kiel.
The head of government praised the medal holder's achievements: For more than 20 years, they have shown a commitment that is unparalleled in Germany in the field of research and treatment of migraines and other chronic headaches
, said Albig. Hartmut Göbel did pioneering work in Germany and laid the foundations for the modern approach to headache disorders. Thanks to his commitment, serious illnesses could be sustainably improved through newly developed therapies. In this way, Göbel has helped countless affected people in recent years.
Laudation by Prime Minister Torsten Albig
Link to the State Chancellery homepage
Link Press release from the State Chancellery
Link Wikipedia article Hartmut Göbel
Dear Prof. Göbel,
So far I've apparently always overlooked the message, but even many months later I still find it no less impressive.
The many commenters before me have actually already said exactly what I would write. That's why I'll keep it short for once:
They are fantastic!
It is wonderful for all of us that you and your commitment exist! A big thank you!
Kind regards from Düsseldorf from Pia Ersfeld
Dear Professor Göbel,
you more than deserve the Federal Cross of Merit, 1st Class.
We can only warmly congratulate you and your medical team on the services you have already provided and will continue to provide several times.
They have accomplished things that some hospitals can only dream of. You and your staff, who are always very friendly, can only be recommended; which I have already done several times. I wish you, your family and your staff all the best for the time being, especially good health, and that you may free many more patients from their suffering.
Kind regards from Dahn
Gerhard Hemmer
Dear Professor Göbel,
I was pleased to read about your award.
No doctor has stood up for me like you, taken the time and always encouraged me. What you have built with your clinic is admirable and you have been able to help so many people. Congratulations again and all the best to you, your family and your team. Sincerely,
Jutta Schulze
Dear Professor Göbel,
I would like to congratulate you once again on this great award.
You more than deserve this honorable recognition, because only very specific people who have mastered great things in their lives receive a Federal Cross of Merit and that includes you, dear Professor. This also includes your warmth, humanity, willingness to help, no matter what time of day... I could list them on and on. They are lucky to have an excellent team and a wonderful family at their side who support them and that makes everything perfect. They made the Kiel Pain Clinic what it is today. I felt very comfortable there as a patient and would be happy to come back. Thank you very much for the help you always give me. I wish them continued success, good luck and health, also for their families.
Your Claudia Eichhorn sends you warm greetings from Ludwigshafen
Dear Professor Göbel,
It was only today that I found out about your great and well-deserved award and I would also like to warmly congratulate you on being awarded the Federal Cross of Merit 1st Class and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your outstanding commitment and your impressive work in the field of research into headaches and also medical ones Thank supply. My stay in your clinic at the beginning of last year was a lifeline and turning point for me in dealing with migraines, which I have had since childhood, and I thank you and the entire team at the pain clinic for your competence, sensitivity and loving support in exploring new ways to cope extremely grateful for the illness.
Warm greetings from London and all the best for the future,
your
Iris Vienna
Dear Professor Göbel,
As one of your patients, I would like to warmly congratulate you on this high and special award from the Federal Republic of Germany.
For a long time, before I came to your clinic, I kept reading reports from you and seeing you on TV reports. Her special way of explaining and informing always impressed me. Your patience and love for your job could be read through the lines and felt through the reports. I then decided to visit your clinic in 2001. There everything was confirmed and the impression they left on me. I was deeply reassured and felt safe and secure with you and in the right place to address my problems.
Now, as a patient of yours, I am following further paths from you and the further expansion of your help.
I could contact you at any time with questions. Nobody is left alone, even years later.
I was incredibly impressed by the structure of the headbook with your support and the monthly live chat. The time and effort and energy you spend on US is enormous.
I am incredibly proud and happy that you have now been recognized for all your work, which I believe is love for your job and love for migraine and pain sufferers.
Congratulations and lots of strength to you for your future journey
Warm greetings from Düsseldorf
Susanne Mankowsky
Dear Professor Göbel,
Having arrived home safely and without any problems, I would like to congratulate you once again from the bottom of my heart on this high and absolutely justified award on behalf of the Cluster Headache Self-Help Groups (CSG) eV; and with you - as you have already said - those who support you in your efforts to help (cluster) headache patients in any way: your dear wife, your wonderful children and your excellent team at the pain clinic, especially Ms. Fromm and the Dres Heinze couple.
It was a great honor for me to be able to attend this wonderful celebration on behalf of cluster headache patients and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you once again.
If I wrote down everything I could thank you for here, the server would probably be overloaded. Bettina Frank has already mentioned a lot of this in her posting. I would like to add your indescribable generosity, for example when it comes to organizing information events - I'm thinking, for example, of the “3. “Kiel Cluster Headache Days” last year; if questions arise within the CSG membership that we cannot answer immediately and you usually have competent and always helpful answers within a few minutes (even late in the evening); and much more.
I look forward to many more years of intensive work together for the benefit of (cluster) headache patients in hopefully the best of health
Best regards
Jakob C. Terhaag
Dear Professor Göbel,
My warmest congratulations on this very special award from the state. It couldn't have happened to anyone more deserving!
As moderator of the migraine and headache forum Headbook, which you initiated, I would also like to thank you on behalf of all our members who are so infinitely grateful to you.
What you have done for science and research in this country has already been done by the Prime Minister. It is now well known that your commitment has set standards worldwide and will continue to do so. I would therefore like to talk a little about what is just as important to you as science and research: your incredible voluntary commitment!
You are committed to raising awareness even in your limited free time, you initiated self-help organizations and the pain therapy guide for Schleswig-Holstein, you were particularly committed to the “stepchild” of cluster headaches, you provided people with headache calendars, an app for the iPhone and so on, completely free of charge Headbook available. All of these instruments, which are so important for those affected, were given to all of us by you. No one can imagine how much time and money it will take on your part.
Your monthly live chat on Headbook means those affected have a free private consultation with a leading expert in pain therapy. For you it means further commitment to people after a long day at work in the clinic. You keep sacrificing these evenings for us that were supposed to be for your relaxation.
You are always available to me and others if there are problems, if a seriously affected patient needs help quickly, if I need advice and support for our members and, last but not least, for myself.
All of this in addition to your work in the clinic, your lecture tours worldwide, your commitment to the further training of doctors and students, the studies you initiated, the work on your countless books, some of which are standard textbooks, and so much more.
For this and for everything else that cannot be mentioned here, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I wish you continued joy and success at work and especially good health. A big thank you also goes to your family, who always stands behind you and supports you.
Warm greetings from Munich and we look forward to continued good cooperation
with you
, Bettina Frank