Marcus Ehrhardt
INTIM.HAUT.NAH.
A book that moves you, shakes you - and gives you hope.
Some illnesses you see - and others you don’t.
These lurk, invisible, and devastate from within.
Hidradenitis suppurativa is one of those. Like a termite, it gnaws away both at your skin and your soul.
If you're affected, you know the script. It says isolation, pain, despair and shame.
Fear and hopelessness rule your life, amplified by the silence of paralysis.
Marcus went through the “Hidradenitis suppurativa” grinder.
In his early thirties, unbeknown to him, he embarked on a life changing journey .
As his skin tore, broke and bled with endless abscesses, surgeries, scars, the mind grew tired.
With every new wound, the dread of not being able to go on grew.
The best years life had to offer, rather than being filled with joy and light, were instead with despair and darkness.
Even the simplest tasks were a battle: getting up, showering, working, and, last but not least, intimate relationships.
The apex of depression was reached and with it, it’s poisonous cousin Suicide reared its seductive head.
But, remembering what Winston Churchill said to the world when the darkest hour was upon us: “If you're going through hell, keep going” and that is what Marcus did.
So he made the hero’s choice: to fight and win for life.
Step by step, setbacks after setbacks, the road lit with the depressing light of false dawns and heart-breaking Sahara-like mirages, he came back.
Steeled by resolve and ready to try everything to taste life again, he eventually reached the green lands of light, life and hope.
Still with the disease, he lives without being defined by it.
The lesson he learnt was that it is not the falling that defines you; it is how you react when you do.
Rising again and again after each fall is the secret that solves much of the problems life throws your way.
This book is more than a story of survival. It’s a candid testimony of a man who spares no detail to enable others to rise when life brought them down:
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He speaks openly of pain, surgeries, wounds, and the physical and emotional scars.
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He addresses sexuality and partnership - shame, fear of failure, and the question of how love can endure through illness.
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He recounts the darkest moments of depression, when life felt devoid of meaning and each day was pure agony.
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He reveals the steps that helped him find himself again.
Through it all, he stays relatable. Direct, brutally honest - always authentic.
With this illness, visibility is hope, anonymity desolation.
Marcus brings “Hidradenitis suppurativa” to life.
Too often, those affected remain silent out of fear and shame.
Too often, social understanding is missing.
Too often, the true scale of this affliction is not just ignored but unrelatable.
With this book, Marcus shine the light of truth on an affliction that devastates hundreds of millions of lives across the world.
To the question: must they suffer in silence, his book replies with a thundering: No.
Uniquely powerful: His wife Birgit also lends her voice - not as a co-author, but as a partner on their shared journey. She describes what it’s like to stand by someone pushed to the brink by illness and depression. She speaks of worry, helplessness - but also of the strength born from love and solidarity. In doing so, she gives voice to loved ones who are so often unheard.
INTIMATE.REVELATION is a book that instils courage.
As such, there is no sugarcoating, no false promises, no one-size-fits-all solutions.
This tale isn’t born from a victim mindset. It’s the product of a harsh - but ultimately victorious—path.
Marcus writes with humour, where you least expect it; with gravitas, when it’s needed; and with a warmth that only comes from knowing what it truly means to hit rock bottom.
Further, it’s not a medical manual. It offers instead valuable insights, tips, and experiences that can support others.
But it’s not a conventional self-help guide. Every page carries a heartfelt wish: to be a rock for someone else caught in this nightmarish storm.
Readers will be moved. Possibly shaken. But more than anything, they will feel one heart-warming truth deep inside: they are not alone.
That is the most vital message: No one has to carry this disease, pain, shame in silence. There are paths forward, there is community, and there are those who share their story - so others can find hope.
INTIMATE.REVELATION is a courageous beacon, a taboo breaker, a testament to resilience. You don’t just read it and set it aside - you carry it with you long after.
The book is currently available in German only.
But in about three months, the English edition will be released as well—something I am truly grateful and excited about. Knowing that this story will soon be accessible to even more people fills me with joy.
