For more than six years, Maciuś—called Maciek by those who love him most—has lived inside a battle no child should ever face. His life has unfolded between hospital walls, MRI machines, operating rooms, and long nights filled with fear. Yet through pain, uncertainty, and repeated setbacks, one truth has remained constant: Maciuś refuses to let go of life.
Maciek was born healthy, though his birth was difficult and complicated. In his earliest months, nothing suggested the nightmare ahead. He developed normally, laughed easily, and filled his parents’ long-awaited dreams with joy. But at just eight months old, subtle changes began to appear. He stopped using his right hand while playing. His body formed strange postures. Drooling became frequent. His mother sensed something was wrong and began seeking medical help.
For two long years, doctor after doctor dismissed her concerns. Pediatricians and a neurologist assured her everything was fine, even as Maciek’s condition worsened. What no one realized at the time was that these strange postures and absences were his first seizures. As time passed, the episodes grew longer. After each one, Maciek would sleep for hours. He stopped speaking and communicated only through cries. By the time he was nearly three, his parents could no longer accept reassurance without answers.
Private consultations finally led to tests—an EEG and a CT scan. The results shattered their world. A long-standing hematoma was discovered, likely caused by birth complications, requiring further investigation. Soon after came scans abroad, translated documents, biopsies, and finally the diagnosis no parent is prepared to hear: a brain tumor.
Treatment began immediately and brutally. Maciek underwent aggressive chemotherapy—stronger than what most children in the ward could endure. Many dropped out of treatment. Some were moved to radiation. Others did not survive. For eight agonizing months, his parents watched their son suffer through side effects that broke their hearts daily. Yet Maciek endured. He was the only child who did not lose dangerous amounts of weight. He never needed a feeding tube. His body, small as it was, kept fighting.
After another year of chemotherapy, hope briefly returned—until scans showed the tumor growing again. In 2012, at just five years old, Maciek underwent a second brain surgery. This time, the pathology results were devastating. The tumor had become malignant. Doctors diagnosed stage IV glioblastoma multiforme and gave him six to nine months to live. Radiation, they said, might extend his life by only a few weeks.
His parents refused to put him through more suffering. They chose love over fear, deciding to spend whatever time remained simply being together. But time passed—and Maciek stayed. Months turned into a year. He continued to grow, learn, and surprise everyone. The tumor remained, slowly enlarging, but so did his strength.
In 2014, a new door opened when a professor in Germany reviewed Maciek’s case and offered surgery. The cost was enormous, but his parents borrowed money and asked strangers for help. On July 1, 2014, Maciek underwent surgery. Most of the tumor was removed. Hope returned once more, even when pathology confirmed the cancer remained malignant.
The years that followed were filled with relentless searching—medical journals, global consultations, experimental options. In 2016, immunotherapy offered another chance. Early scans showed partial regression. For the first time in years, it felt like Maciek’s body might be winning.
Then, without warning, his condition collapsed. Severe seizures came one after another. He fell into a coma. A doctor asked his mother if she was ready to let him go, warning that if he woke, he might never be the same. She said no. Maciek had fought too long, too hard.
Emergency surgery saved his life. Two days later, he opened his eyes and whispered, “Good morning, Mom.” Those words carried everything. He wanted to live.
More surgeries followed. Valves were inserted. Complications arose. Pain returned. Morphine became a necessity. Doctors warned again that time was running out. Yet even now, new surgical options and further treatment remain possible.
Maciuś has already undergone surgery and continues to face what lies ahead. His fight is not finished. And neither is the love that surrounds him.
Because for six years, this child has chosen life—again and again.