Less than 16-year-old Jacob is battling pineal gland malignancy

While he was still waiting for the result of the head MRI, he was still playing soccer normally with his friends, riding his bike or going to the gym.

No one expected how serious a diagnosis the 15-year-old would hear. It was a malignant tumor of the pineal gland.

The best way to tell his story is by Cuba himself, who described his feelings about the past weeks in great detail. So let's give the floor to this brave Warrior:

"Hi, my name is Kuba. I'm 15 years old and I'm studying to become a programmer in the future.

My story with the disease began very inconspicuously. Simply one day the corner of my mouth went up. I went with my mother to a neurologist. The doctor examined me and gave me a referral for a head MRI. While waiting for the result of the test, I went back to my normal life: I played soccer, rode my bike, went to the gym and prepared for a professional exam. Before the exams came the result of the MRI. My mother received it and was the first to know that they had detected a malignant tumor in my pineal gland. I wasn't really interested in whether they detected anything, because there was no indication that something might be wrong.

The time has come for my exams. One went well, the second - a little weaker. After the second exam, I came home and my mother said that they had detected some kind of cyst in my head. At that time I didn't yet know that my life, from an active boy who spent most of his time outside, would change to sitting in the hospital or at home. I went to the "Cape of Hope," a pediatric ward. After a few days of stay, when most of the children I saw didn't have hair, something started to go wrong for me - what am I doing here if I only have a cyst? One evening I asked my mother what was really wrong with me. Then I saw tears in my mother's eyes. She said, "I have a tumor..."

"It didn't get to me at first.

Half the night I was awake anyway and pondering what was going to happen to me. I felt fine, so I was discharged home, but with a referral to consult a doctor in Katowice. Professor Mandera said that my tumor was excisable and he would undertake it, but that it had to be fairly soon, not in a few months. We returned home, but 2 weeks later I was to appear in Katowice, Poland, for surgery.

I did. The doctor wasn't wrong in saying that it couldn't wait, because during those 2 weeks at home I started to get hydrocephalus. The tumor was growing rapidly and as a result, I couldn't move my eyes normally. The next day after arriving at the hospital, I was operated on. I was very stressed. The operation took six hours, but it was successful.

For the first few days I couldn't even sit. Then I could slowly sit up and finally stand. I felt relatively ok, only since the operation I have had memory problems. In fact, this continues to this day. I also had a problem with my vision. I could see everything double, on top of that it was kind of blurry. All I could think about was how my mother was experiencing it. She didn't want to show it in front of me, but I could still see tears in her eyes and sadness.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to cut out the entire tumor, so the hospital in Katowice arranged for me to receive chemotherapy at the "Cape of Hope". I arrived for the first chemo. I tolerated it reasonably well. I was "gulping" after it and had no appetite, but everything was fine in the tests, so they let me go home. A few days before the second chemo, my hair started to fall out. This was a big blow to me, because I had always had longer hair and would never have thought that I would have to shave myself bald.

I came to the hospital for a second chemo. Here I cut myself bald. I won't forget how my tears went, because then I realized that I was really sick. Previously, I had not allowed myself this news. After the second cycle, chemo burns came out on my left hand. Now I am in the middle of the third cycle. In fact, I just started it. I still have a cycle of chemotherapy ahead of me, then - radiation therapy.

I don't know what will happen next. Now I can't even make plans for the next day, because I might start feeling terribly bad and won't be able to do anything. Now my dream is to get back to a normal life, to my friends. I want to go out again and play ball.

I'm not giving up. I will not give up the victory to some stupid disease!"

- Cuba

Jacob is a very brave and aware boy who dreams of returning to his active normalcy. Let's help Warrior and his Mom get through this difficult time. Let's show that they are not alone! Every donation makes a difference and brings this family closer to covering the necessary costs associated with cancer treatment.