Karin Pausch [1958-2002] D
Biography
At age six, I am afraid of my addict parents
At age twelve, my father dies
At age thirteen, I take my mother’s medicine and cannabis
At age sixteen, my brother dies
At age seventeen, I start shooting heroin
At age eighteen, my mother dies of an overdose
At age nineteen, I am living in france, homeless
At age twenty-five, I am jailed for the first time
At age thirty, I contract hiv in jail
At age thirty-one, I escape to the Netherlands to avoid being imprisoned again
At age thirty-two, I fall in love with a junkie and live with him illegally in Rotterdam
At age forty, I return to Germany for rehab, am treated with methadone, and start drinking
At age forty-one, I am committed to a psychiatric institution
At age forty-one, I hear that my lover has been shot dead
At age forty-two, I am admitted to a shelter for junkies with advanced cirrhosis of the liver
At age forty-four, I die while under the supervision of carers
Karin Pausch’s biography was reconstructed after her death using her files and documents and in close collaboration with social workers and end of life caregivers. A former housemate of Karin’s read her biography for the recording.