3-year-old Damian has brain cancer! Help is needed to save a young life!

We've been living with fear and the smell of hospital wards for 1,5 years. Damian was diagnosed with glioma, one of the most aggressive brain tumors. The treatment is complicated and risky, and the enemy is deadly! 

Sometimes I don't even know what day of the week it is - my daily rhythm is dictated by cycles of chemotherapy. Nothing else matters to us but the recovery of our beloved child! Please help me save my son!

I will never forget March 16, 2022, the worst day of my life... I lost touch with my beloved son.  The next thing I knew, my son was rushed to the emergency room, then admitted to the hospital and another hospital. It was overwhelming, and each day was worse from another. The doctors suspected epilepsy. It turned out that Damian contracted rotavirus upon the first visit to the hospital, which had a significant impact on his health...

We spent over two weeks in the isolation ward. We feared for our son's life...  As a mother, I couldn't watch the suffering of my beloved son.

It was just the beginning of our battle, though... On March 29, 2022, an MRI scan showed a large brain lesion. The doctors suspected a glioma, a brain tumor. It was terrible news... Our son was only 21 months old! We were shocked and devastated...

In August 2022, I received a phone call from the hospital. I was asked to bring my son for a biopsy and brain surgery. Due to his infection, the procedure had to be postponed until the end of September. Just as he entered the operating room and was put to sleep with a partially shaved head, the surgery was canceled. We left the hospital, sitting on pins and needles, waiting for a call from the hospital, which constantly changed the date. Allegedly, there were more urgent cases to deal with... What about my son? His brain lesion was detected in March, and we still didn't know much about it. 

Finally, I took matters into my own hands. I found the best neurosurgeon in the country - Professor Mandera.

Two weeks later, we traveled to Katowice, where on November 17, 2022, Damian underwent a bifrontal craniotomy, brain surgery, and extended biopsy. Since the lesion was inoperable, we expected the worst... 

Thanks to the wonderful Professor Mandera, the surgery was successful, and we could return home. Unfortunately, the doctors confirmed the suspected diagnosis - brain tumor - diffuse glioma - the reason for the seizures. We received the last biopsy result in May 2023. A month later, we visited an oncologist who referred us to the hospital's cancer unit, where Damian had another MRI scan and a first conversation about the cancer treatment... 

He recommended creating a fundraiser to collect money for therapy, which might be expensive... Again, we were heartbroken, shocked, and devastated…

Before we did that, he suggested tumor monitoring consisting of regular MRIs. I didn't even have the time to think it through or consult my son's case somewhere else. Damian started exhausting chemotherapy that required a blood transfusion... We were told that the whole treatment should take one year. 

Our son is a happy boy, suffering from cancer for 1.5 years. Instead of enjoying his childhood and having fun in the playground, he feels scared, crying in hospital corridors. The only friends he meets are children in the hospital cafeteria. I feel excruciating fear every single day. Our daily schedule includes doctor's appointments, administering medications, hospital, and weekly chemo.

We must be prepared for the worst. There is a long and difficult battle ahead of us. Please support us in our efforts to save Damian's life. Any donation will be much appreciated. 

Marzena, Damian's mother