Osteosarcoma❗Amputation❗Ignacy learns to live with a prosthesis.

It started with signals that were easy to ignore.

Minor symptoms appearing during physical activity turned out to be the beginning of the disease. Ignacy began to lose his confidence in his movements, and his stumbles and falls were explained away as fatigue or temporary clumsiness. In the second half of the summer holidays, however, he began to experience severe pain in his left knee, and a lump became noticeable in the area. Over time, the pain intensified to such an extent that he began to walk with crutches. It was 2023.

The diagnosis provided an answer that left no time for delay.
On October 6, 2023, Ignacy began chemotherapy.

The doctors decided to amputate.

The treatment did not bring the expected results. The only way to stop the progression of the disease was a below-knee amputation of the left lower limb, performed on December 28, 2023, at the University Clinical Center in Krakow.

It was a physically difficult and deeply stressful moment, bringing pain, anger, and helplessness in the face of what was happening. After that, the 17-year-old boy's life had to be rebuilt from scratch.

Treatment and uncertainty

Ignacy finished chemotherapy in June 2024. Fear returned in February 2025 when there was suspicion of a recurrence of the disease. In March, a biopsy of the tibia and femur was performed. The tests did not reveal any cancer cells. In November 2025, Ignacy suffered a bone fracture in his stump during a fall. The bone has healed, but further rehabilitation and learning to walk with a prosthesis are necessary.

Learning to live again

After completing treatment , Ignacy learns to function with a prosthesis. Every step requires effort, patience, and systematic rehabilitation. The prosthesis he uses is his first and needs to be adjusted and replaced in the future.

The family became the most important source of support.

During treatment, his parents, despite having long since separated, went through their son's illness together, taking turns watching over him during his hospital stays. Currently, it is his mother who accompanies Ignacy to his follow-up appointments.

She cares for him on a daily basis together with her current husband. She is responsible for organizing her son's treatment, rehabilitation, and daily needs.

Ignacy has a 19-year-old sister, Agata. The news of her brother's illness came as a huge shock to her and she required psychological support. The siblings remain very close.

Everyday life after illness

Ignacy's mother quit her job to take care of him. The family lives in a rented apartment and incurs high living, rehabilitation, and medical expenses. In addition to daily expenses, there are costs associated with transportation, medical supplies, and the need to adjust the prosthesis to the teenager's growing body.

Returning to the world of peers

Ignacy is interested in history, geography, and space. He likes to build model ships and spend time playing computer games. These ordinary interests of a 17-year-old are a sign that, despite his difficult experiences, he looks to the future with hope.

Any support you show will help him regain his independence and confidence in everyday life.