Dr.h.c.mult Sybill Storz, 1937 – 2025
My mentor in hysteroscopy Dr Md Ob/Gyn Harry Van Der Pas did introduce me to your father Dr MED H.C. Karl Storz and quite soon your father did decide to bring you in charge of the “youngsters”.
After founding the European Society of Hysteroscopy (ESH) and becoming the secretary of the society, you did decide to trust me and help me to promote hysteroscopy and endoscopy as such. Therefore, in 1986 at the Congress on Surgical Endoscopy in Berlin you and your sister did ask me for a meeting. My trust in you was immediate and spontaneous. You did ask me to use your instruments and test new instruments and hardware out and give you, my impressions and evaluations.
You did allow me and my coworker at the time to build the first “Endoscopic Training Center” in Europe, just before the Clermont Ferrand one, on the grounds of the OCMW Jan Palfijn General Hospital in Merksem Antwerp. You did ask me to evaluate your instruments and you did travel and come and evaluate the Endoscopic Training Center Antwerp (ETCA) and the theatre and had a critical eye on the maintenance of the instruments and did congratulate our cleaner on the way she did work with the instruments right after an operation.
When asked where to go for dinner your answer was “nothing too fancy just a small place in the old town”. It was the “Paris” in the museum quarter of the old town. We had a memorable time and just talking over dinner made the plans for the common future. This checking and your need to be informed on the minor details was one of your great assets. I remember visiting the plant in Tuttlingen and at the end of the process of the making of a forceps you did pick up the instrument and as the handle was not uninformedly stained in the classic grey colours you did order the whole lot to be destroyed.
When my friend and your representative for Europe and Afrika, Pol Fransen, on tour in Africa, did not report in time you barely believed that he had been lying on the floor of his hotel room whilst shooting went on in the streets. The visit to the headquarters to report on the working of the center and the evaluation of the instruments, send to me for evaluation, did become a yearly great opportunity to report and to talk about whatever but mainly focused on how to get endoscopic surgery more available for every clinician. Around twelve o’clock you then said “enough talking” and you led us to one of the small restaurants in Tuttlingen. You even did send your son and the managing staff to Antwerp to the ETCA for hands on training; what they did enjoy.
Once when I was early at the new headquarters in the Dr Karl Storz Strasse and waiting in the visitor centre you phoned the secretary to bring me up to your office and made me a cup of expresso yourself “these talks better”. When for me, as a governmental employee at the age of 65 I told you I was facing retirement your only comment was “This is much to early come and work with Karl Storz” instead you did engage my coworker who for years did work at the Karl Storz Education Department.
You also did encourage me to continue with the International Society for Gynecologic Endoscopy and when one evening I did phone you, on your personal phone, to tell you that the society was facing bankruptcy your only comment was “What are you worrying about I will give it a look”. Your personal touch, vision and listening ear are greatly missed in these troubled times. Your memory will be with us for ever!
