Our son and I are waiting for Paweł at home… Please help him in his battle against the disease❗️

Only several months ago, my Paweł was a healthy, active, wonderful, and engaged father. Today, he’s fighting to regain basic physical abilities. In January, he developed seemingly innocent symptoms like tingling in the arms and legs and weakness.

Shortly after, tetraplegia appeared, which resulted in hospitalization at the neurology ward. Not knowing what was going on, we had Paweł checked for neurological diseases. It turned out that he had Guillain-Barré syndrome.

It is an acute condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves, eventually leading to paralysis, and in its most serious form, respiratory failure and a medical emergency. In Paweł’s case, despite the treatment, the disease progressed and resulted in tetraplegia, a paralysis that affects all limbs.

After completing the first stage of therapy, Paweł was transferred to the rehabilitation ward. Intense physical therapy contributed to a minor improvement - he started to move his fingers and toes, and regained muscle strength. It gave us hope for recovery. Unfortunately, Paweł was too exhausted to continue his fight. The disease progressed and caused swallowing and breathing problems. My husband returned to the neurological ward, where he developed septic shock and pneumonia, which weakened his body even more.

At the beginning of March, due to his critical condition, he was transferred to the ICU, where he was intubated and put on a ventilator. He was fighting for life, and I was scared to death. The intense treatment would cause a short-term improvement that alternated with a sudden worsening. A nerve conduction study and electromyography (EMG) showed advanced nerve damage, compared to the January test.

It took many weeks to finally wean Paweł from the ventilator and stabilize him. On April 9, he returned to the rehabilitation ward, where he fought to regain a range of motion little by little every day. Although intense physical therapy has been beneficial, it resembles rebuilding foundations brick by brick after a disaster.

It’s been months since Paweł saw our little son, who misses him so much! Twice a day, I drive 20 miles to be with my husband. Months or even years of rehabilitation are the only real chance for Paweł to finally recover and regain independence. After he leaves the hospital, we want to place him in a rehabilitation center, but the costs, including further treatment, medical equipment, and daily travel, are too expensive for us.

This is why I am asking for your support on behalf of Paweł and my own. Every donation brings us closer to his recovery and regaining our peaceful lives without fear of losing Paweł or not having enough money to pay for the treatment. Our son and I are waiting for him. Please help him come back home!

Renata