Book of condolences / Kondolenzbuch

When recruitment was lagging several years ago on a Urticaria study, Marcis shared a video his daughter had created and posted on Tik Tok to support the cause. This incredible force of a physician was also a Dad. My absolute sincerest condolences to the family of this great man. I can’t fathom your loss.

Lieber Marcus, du bist nun wirklich nicht mehr unter uns. Aber eines möchte ich Dir nach all den Jahren noch sagen:,, Du warst der beste Chef der Welt"! Deine Leidenschaft für die Forschung war unschlagbar. Deine immer positive Motivation war unser Motor jeden Tag. Nie hast Du nach Schuldigen gesucht, sondern immer nach Lösungen. Soviel hast Du mir ermöglicht. Sogar meine Leidenschaft für Insekten geteilt. Somit schmücken über 50 Bilder ,meiner Fotographien, unser Institut. Wie begeistert warst Du, dass wir damit ein Zeichen gegen das Insektensterben setzten. Noch vor kurzem zeigtest Du mir noch die leere Wand in Deinem Büro mit den Worten:,, Hier ist noch Platz, tobe Dich aus"! Dafür möchte ich Dir von Herzen danken. Mir wird Dein Schmunzeln, über unsere Verrücktheiten, fehlen. Auf jeden Guten Morgen folgte Dein fröhliches ,,Hi", mit einer besonderen Betonung, so dass ich mich immer sofort willkommen gefühlt habe. Durch Dich sind wir nicht nur Kollegen, sondern eine Familie geworden. Es ist mir eine Ehre zu Deinem Team zu gehören. In Deinem Sinne und mit deinem Erbe werden wir weiter forschen und darauf acht geben, dass wir genauso weiter machen, uns respektieren und uns gegenseitig achten. Auch Dein Bemühen, dass meiner Tochter Wipke die Tür für das Forschen ,auch über die Grenzen hinaus ,geöffnet wurde, erfüllt mich mit Dankbarkeit Dir gegenüber. Der Forschernachwuchs war Dir immer so wichtig. Du wirst immer einen Platz in meinem Herzen füllen, mir immer fehlen!!! All mein Mitgefühl gilt jetzt Deiner Familie für Deinen Verlust. Lebwohl und immer verbunden... Deine Annett

My deepest condolences to Marcus' family for your loss. It was too early and still so surreal that he is no longer with us. I knew Marcus from working with him on CSU and I have never seen anyone so passionate about changing the standard of care for his patients and bringing forward new therapies in urticaria and angioedema. The community has lost a great advocate and the most exciting and entertaining speaker in science. I had the pleasure of hearing Marcus at AAD 2024 as my last time. It was a masterpiece. Rest in peace Marcus.

Sommer 2004 - da standen wir nun - ein leerer Raum in der Dermatologie, der einmal unser Labor werden sollte. Du hattest wie immer eine Vision und hast uns mitgenommen auf diese/Deine Reise, die manchmal auch recht abenteuerlich war. Immer voller Ideen und Zuversicht und grenzenlosem Optimismus. Aufgeben war nie eine Option für Dich und ausgerechnet Du hast uns nun auf so tragische Art und Weise verlassen. Jetzt, fast am Ende meines Arbeitslebens, kann ich rückblickend sagen; mit Dir zu arbeiten, das waren die schönsten Jahre meines Berufslebens. Danke dafür - Du wirst immer in unseren Herzen sein, mit den besten Wünschen für Deine liebe Familie.

I had the privilage to work with Marcus cosely and successfully for many years on omalizumab in urticaria. I know him as an excellent and creative scientist, a pragmatic man of action, a charismatic speaker and a loyal friend! For me Marcus will never completely die!

It was in 2014 when I established contact with Professor Maurer. I submitted an application for his postdoctoral study and arrived in Berlin in 2015 to commence my postdoctoral research. I am extremely grateful to him for providing me with the opportunity, thus enabling me to identify my lifelong academic research direction. Since 2016, I have received funding from Professor Maurer to carry on my research and study in Berlin until 2020, when I returned to China due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, in July 2024, we had the honor of inviting Professor Maurer to visit our hospitals in Suzhou, and we got along very well during the brief 2-day period. However, unexpectedly, after he returned to Germany at the end of July, had an accident while hiking during his vacation. I am profoundly sorrowful and devastated that we have lost him forever, but he will always remain in my heart, and I will continue to follow his passion for studying Urticaria, hoping that one day I can return to Berlin and lay a bouquet of flowers on his tombstone. Professor Maurer, I will always remember and love you!

I appreciate this man so much. In particular I remember his compassion when he said that anxiety does not cause hives, hives cause anxiety. After decades of undiagnosed CIU, I knew this to be true, but to hear it comeing from the mouth of someone in the medical community means so so much. I began having chronic daily migraines and hives in the 1970's. MCAS and CIU was not well understood. Doctors, friends, and employer saw my migraines and hives as a character flaw, a condition cause by anxiety. I tried but I could find no pattern of stress exaberating my hives and headaches. I began to see patterns in the 1970s, but it was all very confusing, it did not line up with what was "known" at the time. The medical community continued to be dismissive. Maybe they didn't want to take the time. Maybe they didn't know how to help me. Maybe it was just easier to blame me and escort me out the door. It was a relevation to the first time doctor told me migraines were not caused by stress. This encouraged me to continue looking for answers. Although the medical community was starting to understand migraine and hives, that did not translate to the workplace. When I missed work due to a migraine my job security was threatened. Coworkers saw my hives as visual proof of a character flaw. Unkind and insensive remarks were made. Over time I was able to identify and avoid some of the food and environmental triggers, enough to reduce the frequency of daily migraines to see the hormonal pattern of a migraine that started one hour before my mentrual period, and lasted for three days. So add hormones to the mix of triggers. Combine IgE allergies, sensitivites and autoimmune conditions, it's been a lot to sort out. I wish more doctors would realize the disservice they do to their patients when they tell their patients something is caused by stress or anxiety when the doctor does not have the answer. I wish doctors would take a lesson or two from Dr. Mauer. Dr. Mauer's knowledge is helpful, and his empathy and compassion are healing. His death is a great loss to the community of people with CIU, and an example for people in the medical field.. P.S. Fellow CIU people, I realize some of you feel that stress is a significant factor in your symptoms. I don't mean to discredit your observations of your own body. You know your body better than anyone else could. Just saying that doctors need to do bettter, listen to their patients more and partner with the patient to find answers. Be better, like Dr Maurer.) Today, with a proper diagnosis, lifestyle, and medication my hives have been under control for over 3 years. Imagine what that means after suffering from hives and migraines 50 years. When they ask me how I'm doing when I get my CIU treatments, I tell them "I'm doing GREAT, I have my life back."

I’m so sorry. My deepest condolences to Dr. Marcus’s family and friends. I only just learned of Dr. Marcus Maurer and his work in July. He quickly became my go-to expert and I have been so greatly encouraged by his work for those of us with CIU. After a lifetime of feeling invisible to the medical community, finding him and his work made me feel seen. He obviously cared very much about his work and the people he was working to help. I’m so thankful for his legacy, but so saddened for his passing. My heart to those of you who knew him personally. I’m sure he was a good man, and I am sorry for your loss.

Niemals werde ich vergessen, wie Du unsere Prüfgruppe im dritten Staatsexamen mit Deiner einzigartigen positiven und warmen Ausstrahlung beruhigt hast. In der Pause unterhielt ich mich mit Mitprüflingen darüber, wie magisch dieses Gefühl war, dass Du einem im Gespräch vermittelt hast - die Aufregung war verblasst, man fühlte sich wohl, aufgehoben und voll und ganz unterstützt. Ich hatte das große Glück im Anschluss Teil deines wundervollen Teams zu werden. Dieses Talent, eine wunderbar warme, herzliche und wertschätzende Atmosphäre zu schaffen, habe ich immer bewundert. In einer Welt voller straffer Hierarchien, Neid und Missgunst, warst Du ein wahrhaft einzigartiger Revolutionär, der gezeigt hat, dass man mit flachen Hierarchien, gegenseitigem Respekt und Wertschätzung die großartigsten Erfolge erzielen kann. Unermüdlich hast Du Dich mit einem unvergleichlichen Engagement für Deine Mitstreiter, die Lehre, Wissenschaft und Deine Patienten eingesetzt. Dass Du das alles geschafft hast, immer mit einem Lächeln auf den Lippen, so menschlich, nahbar und empathisch, ist phänomenal. Der Gedanke, nie wieder Dein ansteckendes Lächeln zu sehen, nie wieder mit Dir über verrückte Forschungsideen zu brainstormen und Dich nicht mehr um Deinen wertvollen Rat bitten zu können, schmerzt unglaublich. Du fehlst mir sehr! Ich hoffe, dass Deine Familie in dieser unfassbar schweren Zeit ein wenig Trost darin finden kann, dass Du die Leben unzähliger Menschen maßgeblich positiv geprägt und ein unvergleichliches Erbe hinterlassen hast. I will never forget how you calmed our exam group in the last exam of med school with your unique positive and warm charisma. During the break, I talked to fellow examinees about how magical this feeling was that you conveyed during the conversation - the excitement had faded, we felt comfortable, cared for and fully supported. I was very lucky to become part of your wonderful team afterwards. I have always admired your talent for creating a wonderfully warm, welcoming and appreciative atmosphere. In a world full of tight hierarchies, envy and resentment, you were a truly unique revolutionary who showed that the greatest successes can be achieved with flat hierarchies, mutual respect and appreciation. You worked tirelessly for your colleagues, teaching, science and your patients with unparalleled commitment. The fact that you managed all this, always with a smile on your face, so human, approachable and empathetic, is phenomenal. The thought of never seeing your infectious smile again, never being able to brainstorm crazy research ideas with you again and no longer being able to ask you for your valuable advice is enormously painful. I miss you very much! I hope that your family can find some comfort during this incredibly difficult time in the fact that you had a significant positive impact on countless people's lives and left behind an incomparable legacy.

I will be forever grateful to Dr. Maurer for his research and teaching on CU, a condition that has had many of us feeling confused and alone. Dr. Maurer was a bright light and comfort to us all.