Cancer attacked Antoś - a dramatic battle with time is underway!

We are begging for a chance for our son – Urgent treatment gives us a hope that Antoś won’t lose his sight in his other eye. We are doing everything we can to make sure we arrive by September 21st at a Clinic in USA. We don’t have any choice, cancer cannot win…

Tumor attacked again, retinoblastoma doesn’t want to give up… this time it has one goal - plunge the world of our baby in the darkness for ever! Why must Antoś suffer so much? Please help our baby… This is our last hope!

Behind Antek is a very hard 5-days cycle of chemotherapy which should stop the development of the tumor. We have to start the treatment as soon as possible and give medicine which gives and raises his chance to defeat the cancer. Every day is a risk of damage of the optic nerve due to growing tumor and then hope doesn’t exist. Only darkness….

Antek was born on 27th of July 2017 as a healthy boy in good condition. Then we thought that those “sevens” will bring him happiness. We didn’t know that it was only for 7 weeks… During those 7 weeks colic’s and sleepless nights were our biggest problems. After that our world collapsed with doctors diagnose: “ Your son has retinoblastoma - malignant tumor of the eye. The tumor fills 2/3 eyeball. We already called Centre of Children Health in Warsaw, they are waiting for you”. This sounds like a nightmare but for us it was a fact. Antoś has a tumor.

It is very difficult to look with consciousness at your small, few week old baby and watch him get destroyed from inside by chemotherapy. The chemo was burning his small veins to defeat his enemy. We were helpless… what we could only do for our terrified son was cuddle him, to take suffering away. Then we didn’t know that something more horrible can happen. And it came.

Next chemotherapy, next horrible information. Doctors told us that the yellow spot in attacked eye is completely damaged. It means that Antek will never be able to see. It was desperation but also hope – perhaps a chance to rescue the second eye! We were going through 6 cycles of general chemotherapy, 3 injections of chemistry to the eye, 3 applications of dotting chemistry aimed at the eyelet. Tumor has been asleep and we had hope that we can have normal life again. Normal life which was taken away from our son.

Unfortunately we could not enjoy our hope so long… When we were rebuilding our world with small pieces, fate decided to destroy our world again…. Results of medical examinations brought bad news – Antoś has gene mutation which can cause other tumors in the future! Our fate was to live on the ticking time bomb, in fear of a deadly dangerous disease. But the final blow came day after. During fundus examination of the healthy eye, the doctor saw a tumor. Our fight started again. This time we were in much worse situation – only one eye was still working!

In the day of this horrible diagnosis Antek turned 8 months old. Today he is 14 months old. Behind us are bad and good days. Regular medical examinations and controls, dozens of pricks, hundreds of hours on an empty stomach, systematic falling asleep, blood transfusion, a lot of pain, screams, crying and suffering of our baby boy. However we know what our goal is and despite that the worse scenarios still came true but we wouldn’t give up. After almost one year of fighting the circle comes full and we are on the begging of our path…. How to give up when it is a fight for the heath of our child?

The latest medical examinations showed that in the healthy eye new malignant tumor appeared. It is very dangerous because adheres to optic nerve. The most effective treatment method is intra-arterial injection. Any other method can destroy Anteks sight or can bring risk of recurrence. Then Antoś can forever lose his vision in his only eye…

To perform intra-arterial injection in the place where doctors have the biggest experience in this kind of treatment, in the place where this kind of operations are counted in dozens, by men who can reach place unobtainable for others – professor Y. Pierre Gobin – this is the biggest chance for Antek. He will look at the whole treatment and we will find out when we get there. But first we have to go to the Abramson Cancer Centre to start therapy – this is a requirement. We should be there no later than on 21st of September.
Doctors in Poland try their best to rescue Anteks eyesight. After we come back from USA we will continue treatment in Poland. Hovever we have to try in USA –  place where chances for Antek are the biggest! We have to race against time....

Just imagine that you get up off the couch and go to the kitchen to make some tea. And now try to do this with closed eyes. This is so simple and day-to-day but in the darkness seems to be impossible. And now open one eye. It is still not easy but much more easier, isnt’t it? This kind of life at best we can ensure our son. The eyesight in the only working eye is the the only chance  for those who are at risk of blindness. For our baby boy... We beg you, please help Antoś see. If he lost his eyesight he would not remember faces of his parents.