Four-year-old Kubuś has been living in a hospital isolation ward for months❗The most severe form of bone marrow aplasia❗

An infection that wouldn't go away

Runny nose, cough, fever, conjunctivitis. An infection like many others, well known to parents of preschoolers. It was June 2025. Nothing foreshadowed what was to come.

The days passed, and Kubuś's condition did not improve. His mother noticed that her son's skin was beginning to take on a yellowish tint. His eyes were too. His tummy was clearly enlarged and painful to the touch. The symptoms were no longer consistent with a normal infection.

At the hospital emergency room , they were told that they had to go to the infectious diseases ward immediately. Their liver enzymes were extremely elevated, as was their bilirubin. They ended up in the hospital, where they spent a week. Every day, more blood was drawn. More and more results came in. No answers.

Kubuś's condition deteriorated rapidly. He developed severe hepatitis and inflammation of the bile ducts. His ALT and AST levels reached four thousand. Severe cholestasis developed. The treatment that was implemented was ineffective.

Three months without a response

They waited three months for the correct diagnosis. During that time , more disturbing information emerged . Kubuś has extremely low immunity. A severe CD4 lymphocyte deficiency.

Since June, Kubuś has been in hospital isolation almost continuously. He was at home for just one week.

During this time, he suffered from meningitis and sepsis. He underwent numerous biopsies, trepanobiopsies, MRIs, and CT scans. More than fifteen procedures under general anesthesia. Antibiotics were administered immediately with every fever.

It took three months to get the diagnosis. The most severe form of bone marrow aplasia.

The transplant was supposed to change everything.

The boy was admitted to the transplant ward in Bydgoszcz. He underwent a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor, with a nine out of ten match. Even then, his body reacted very violently. He did not tolerate rabbit ATG and the intensive chemotherapy preparing him for the transplant well.

During the transplant itself, anaphylactic shock occurred. CRP exceeded two hundred. Procalcitonin was extremely high. Tachycardia reaching one hundred and ninety beats per minute appeared, as well as drops in saturation that persisted for several days.

From the outset, it was necessary to use very high doses of steroids. On the twelfth day, the transplant took place. The bone marrow started producing cells. Then, acute graft-versus-host disease appeared, covering Kubuś's entire body.

Improvement, but only for a moment

After less than two weeks, the skin graft was successfully controlled. The doctors reduced the dose of steroids. Then another complication arose. An intestinal and liver graft. Acute, multi-organ. The most severe possible.

Steroid doses were increased again. Additional immunosuppressive drugs were introduced. An innovative treatment method, photopheresis, was also used. Despite four lines of treatment, the graft has been stable for over a month and a half.

The struggle for every bite

Kubuś has problems eating. Every bite causes severe stomach pain, vomiting, and profuse diarrhea. He loses an average of one and a half kilograms of fluids a day. He has lost six kilograms.

He is extremely weak. He has difficulty getting out of bed. Walking is out of the question. He hasn't left his isolation room for months. Everything takes place in one room. Sleep. Play. Treatment. Suffering. The doctors are blunt. The graft is extremely resistant to treatment. There is a risk that it will become chronic, requiring years of therapy... The only chance is mesenchymal cell therapy.

Separated brothers and longing

Kubuś has a slightly older brother, Antoś. The small age difference made their bond exceptionally strong. Almost like twins. Today, Antoś stayed at home. He misses not only his brother, but also his parents, who take turns caring for Kubuś at his hospital bedside. The boys' childhood has been divided between an isolation ward and an empty room.

Urgent support

The funds raised will be used for mesenchymal cell therapy. This involves ten doses administered at weekly intervals. The cost of one dose is approximately PLN 16,000. The total cost of treatment is approximately PLN 160,000.

This therapy can stop the graft and give Kubuś a chance to come out of months of isolation. To return to eating, to movement, to childhood, which today is confined to the four walls of a hospital room.