Agatka in the fight against neuroblastoma! Her life costs over a million PLN!

We cannot express how we felt as parents of our 2.5-year old Agatka when we found out during an ultrasound scan that there is a gigantic tumour in her belly. Mom fainted in the doctor’s office when she heard about it. Daddy was shocked and could not believe it. Our whole world collapsed.

Unfortunately, it got even worse. In a few days we visited children’s surgery in the Lower Silesian Specialist Hospital, where the doctors performed various check-ups, such as a biopsy, bone marrow aspiration, and a tomography scan. The doctors were suspecting a few types of cancer, and finally it turned out to be the worst among them. Neuroblastoma, as frightening as it is unknown, is one of the least understood types of child cancers.

Nobody knows the cause of neuroblastoma. Only a few children out of a million are affected by this disease. 50% of them overcome the disease. In the case of Agatka, the tumour turned out to be enormous and inoperable. It presses and moves the right kidney, adheres to large blood vessels and penetrates into the spinal canal. Life-saving chemotherapy was immediately started in the Cape of Hope clinic in Wrocław.

Regardless of the terrible situation, we try to be there for Agatka and fill her every moment with joy. Agatka is a very cheerful girl who quickly learned how to speak. She loves animals, especially rabbits, which she was always happy to feed during our visits to the countryside. She dreams of a trip to the seaside which she knows so well from our stories and would love to finally see with her own eyes.

She loves to sing simple songs and Christmas carols. She was even singing them in the car on the first day when we found out about the tumour and were heading home. We were broken down with tears in our eyes, and with a million thoughts, and she, unaware of the situation, was singing the chorus of the Christmas carol with a smile, over and over: Glory in the highest, Glory in the highest. She was also singing carols during the ambulance transport between hospitals, which deeply moved the entire ambulance crew.

The consecutive cycles of chemotherapy are devastating Agatka. From a joyful child, full of openness to the world, she turned into a withdrawn and terrified girl. She spent most of the last several months in hospitals, where she starts crying whenever the door to the room opens, because she is afraid that someone is coming to do something to her again. Agatka lost 2.5 kg after the first chemotherapy and stopped walking because of the pain in her legs. She had no desire to play, all she wanted was to sit on the bed. Blood transfusions were necessary because her blood counts were dropping and she was very weak.

After two cycles of regular chemotherapy, there was no improvement. The tumour not only didn’t respond, but grew even bigger, and the doctors qualified Agatka for the highest risk protocol, which is associated with frequent administration of intensive chemotherapy. She is now after 4 cycles, but there are still no signs that the tumour is shrinking. Despite the debilitating treatment, Agatka's body got somewhat used to the chemotherapy, meaning that she can now walk by herself again, she started to eat, and she became eager to play with other children. We live with hope that we will soon hear from doctors that the tumour has started to shrink and surgery is now possible. Otherwise, the only option would be to operate abroad. There are several doctors in Germany and Spain who specialise in such surgeries, but that requires a lot of money.

Surgery and tumour excision will be just the beginning of a long way to recovery. Neuroblastoma is a cancer that recurs very often, and when it does, it wreaks havoc at lightning speed, and the chances of survival become even smaller. Therefore, Agatka may still require radiotherapy and immunotherapy, which are also very debilitating, but prevent recurrence in the first months after remission. The following years will be crucial, because the only chance for a permanent cure is the antigen vaccine, which is administered only in one place in the world: in New York. It requires 14 doses spread over the years at several-month intervals. Its costs are extremely high, over a million PLN (250,000 USD), which is why we are asking for your help. Every donation matters. Help save our little daughter's precious life.