Szymon is fighting for his health for the second time! He needs your support

Szymon is only a few years old, yet he has spent most of his life in hospitals and cancer clinics. While other children were discovering the world, he was learning to fight one of the most dangerous childhood cancers: stage IV metastatic neuroblastoma. The disease took away his sight, his childlike carefree spirit, and his sense of security, but it did not take away his tremendous will to live. Today, Szymon is once again battling a recurrence of the cancer and needs help to continue his treatment.

It all started with dilated pupils

The first symptoms appeared in April 2021. Szymon’s parents noticed that his pupils were dilated. It turned out that a metastasis in his head had begun to press on his optic nerve.

A dramatic diagnostic process began. In May 2021, the first surgery to remove a brain tumor was performed in Poland. Unfortunately, Szymon lost his sight after the surgery. Further tests revealed an even more dramatic picture of the disease: a primary tumor measuring 11.5 cm in the retroperitoneum and numerous metastases to the bone marrow, bones, and lymph nodes. His parents received the diagnosis: stage IV neuroblastoma.

A Struggle for Survival in Poland, Barcelona, and the U.S.

Treatment began immediately. In Poland, he underwent very intensive chemotherapy according to the CoJEc protocol. However, Szymon’s body was extremely weakened. He developed severe enterocolitis and massive bleeding, which nearly robbed him of any chance to continue fighting. The prognosis was very poor.

The parents decided to seek help in Barcelona. There, the doctors first focused on restoring the boy’s health and saving his damaged intestines, and then performed surgery to completely remove the tumor from the retroperitoneum. In October 2021, they achieved complete remission. Unfortunately, that joy did not last long.

Further relapses and subsequent stages of treatment

Despite immunotherapy, proton therapy, and specialized treatment in the U.S., the first recurrence of neuroblastoma occurred in September 2023. Another very difficult battle began: chemoimmunotherapy, more treatment cycles, and another round of proton therapy. The parents heard the word “remission” again, but in December 2025, the disease returned for the second time.

In January 2026, another tumor was removed. This was followed by additional cycles of chemotherapy and chemoimmunotherapy. The treatment is working, but full remission has not yet been achieved. The doctors decided to continue the therapy, with further treatment cycles and another round of radiation therapy. It is a never-ending fight for the little boy’s life.

Neuroblastoma took his sight, but not his strength

The first surgery resulted in very serious neurological complications. It caused damage to the occipital lobe of the brain and to the nerves responsible for vision. Szymon lost his sight. He also began experiencing post-traumatic epileptic seizures. The boy requires round-the-clock care and constant supervision from his parents.

The family is currently staying in Barcelona, where Szymon is receiving outpatient treatment. His parents left their home, jobs, and loved ones in Poland to save their son. The boy’s father himself suffered a serious workplace accident in January 2025, but despite his own health issues, he has devoted himself entirely to caring for his son, putting his own rehabilitation on hold. Szymon’s older brother is also going through a very difficult time, having had to leave his previous life and peers behind and switch to remote learning.

Szymon still wants to explore the world

Despite his immense suffering, Szymon still loves music and animals. It is these small things that help him retain his childlike sensitivity and forget, if only for a moment, the harsh reality of the hospital. The funds raised will go toward non-reimbursable antibodies, medication, hospital treatment costs, and his continued stay and therapy in Barcelona.

Please support Szymon. This little boy has been fighting an uphill battle against an extremely aggressive form of cancer for years. Every donation gives him a chance at further treatment, more days of life, and the hope that one day the disease will stop robbing him of his childhood.