Nº 50 –

Heike Lange

Obituary

Saturday 29th August 2020

Is there life after death? Heike Lange probably knows the answer now. It’s painful. This is the second person who’s close to me and who, after going into hospital, without being diagnosed as having a heart attack that wasn’t diagnosed , ended up dying of a second heart attack at home. The doctors who work in this sick health system, sent her home with a handful of pills because they are either overworked or incompetent. One thing is certain: life before death, in Portugal, seems to becoming less and less healthy.

It was the forest fire in Vilarinha and Pedralva, this July, that caused panic to take root  in her heart. Nearly everyone who survives a fire doesn’t receive the necessary psychological support. However, the fires mark them, causing traumatic wounds to their souls. A friend of mine,  a doctor confirms this, and adds that the fires are the result of an existential denial that has already been going on for decades. She is absolutely right.

Heike Lange will be forever in our hearts. She was born on 17th March 1967 and she had four daughters. For more than two decades she lived at Pedralva, Vila do Bispo, and started working in sales and as a translator for ECO123 in late 2015. Getting back into the job market was not easy for her, but it was did it with pleasure. It was gratifying. But at one point everything became too difficult and last year she decided to ask for early retirement. She sought peace and security. She was only 53 years old.

We deeply regret her loss.