One turning point was the moment when Anna noticed she was taller than her mother. "That was definitely my happiest moment, because it meant I was no longer my mother's cute little daughter. Now Mom was able to see my age." Previously there had sometimes been little conflicts, especially when Anna wanted to sleep over at a girlfriend's house. Then her mother would often argue, "You're still too small!" As Anna grew, so did her self-confidence, which had already been considerable. Now boys ring at Anna's door—a completely new situation fur Andrea Maier. "Her current boyfriend is a giant, and I simply have to get used to that," she says with a smile. And when Anna sometimes goes a bit too far and comes home much later than the agreed-upon time, her mother is even glad. And she doesn’t get worried about the occasional bad grade. It was different with her older daughter Sarah, but nowadays Andrea Maier, a Merck employee, simply looks the other way.

Anna's hormone treatment has had far-reaching effects. She can finally once again play defense in her soccer club and take the ball away from the opposing team without getting out of breath. But the best thing of all is the fact that together with her mother she can finally make one of their shared dreams a reality. "I'd like to gallop together with Anna and Sarah along the beach on white Camargue horses. A few years ago that wouldn’t have been possible because of Anna's lack of strength. She wouldn't have been able to control a galloping horse. We’re now a wonderfully normal family."