Dominik is losing his sight! The treatment in the USA is the only hope!

Our precious little son may lose his sight! Dominik was born on February 17th, and we thought he was the picture of health. However, when he was a month old, we were horrified to learn that he couldn't see, as he had a (partial) detachment of retinas in his eyes!  At the same time, we were fortunate to find a pediatric retina specialist, Dr. Yoshihiro Yonekawa, who successfully treats children with the same problems. Now, we must do all we can so that Dominik has the surgery as soon as possible or he may never be able to see! We kindly ask for your help. The estimated cost of the surgery at the moment is 300,000 PLN (or $70,000) (or €70,000)!

We cannot accept that our beloved son may live in darkness forever, especially as there is a chance for him to see! Even the smallest donations, SMS, sharing this message or just spreading this fundraiser would go a long way. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!

Initially, nothing indicated such a terrible diagnosis. Our son was born on time, and the pregnancy was problem-free. After the first month of his life (mid-March of this year), we took our son to an ophthalmologist for a routine check-up. At that time, we did not expect to hear such terrible news about his vision. 

Since then, we have visited several hospitals in major cities in Poland and Germany. Some doctors said they were not equipped or trained to deal with this type of vision problem in such young children. Others outright claimed that they knew of no treatment options – each time, it was a huge blow to our hearts. However, other providers pointed us toward actual solutions. We know one thing: We will not give up as long as there is hope!

After extensive diagnostic and genetic testing, Dominik currently has a diagnosis of Norrie's disease/FEVR/Retinoblastoma – a very rare disease without treatment options in Poland. Yet, thanks to social media, we connected with parents with children who suffer from the same condition as Dominik, and we learned from them about the work of Dr. Yoshihiro Yonekawa at the Will Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. He is a leading expert specializing in treating this and similar eye disorders in children. We have connected with Dr. Yonekawa and are in the process of scheduling the initial visit to save Dominik’s right eye, diagnosed with full retina detachment. 

While we are making progress with finding proper care, the condition of Dominik's left eye (with partial retina detachment) is deteriorating fast, and he has extremely low eye pressure. We are grateful to have found a clinic in Germany where he can undergo eye-saving treatments within the next couple of weeks. Time is of the essence, and we are doing the best we can to offer him the best chance of optimal treatment. Once doctors operate on Dominik’s left eye in Germany, we will seek further treatment for the right eye in the USA.

The full treatment in the USA will take 2 years. It involves multiple surgeries to reattach the retina,  check-ups, rehabilitation, laser therapy, and cryotherapy. The goal is to save the retina in one eye and keep the other eye in the best possible condition, with the hope that future medical advances will allow Dominik to regain his sight.