The dramatic story of Mai's ongoing battle❗Brain tumor❗

The suspicion of infection triggered an avalanche.

In 2011, Maja was only one year old. Constant vomiting led to her being admitted to the infectious diseases ward with suspected rotavirus infection. Initial diagnostics confirmed the suspicion, and antiviral treatment was initiated. Theoretically, everything proceeded according to procedure.

But the child's body did not respond to treatment. Maja slept almost continuously. She did not wake up as she should have. Her mother's instinct began to scream louder than the test results.

During one of the attempts to revive her , the girl's body suddenly bent into an unnatural arch, as if someone had brutally broken all boundaries, and then her heart stopped beating. They managed to restart it. For a moment. Shortly afterwards, another cardiac arrest occurred. At that point, no one was talking about infection anymore.
Maja was urgently transferred to the intensive care unit and placed in a medically induced coma. An ophthalmological examination revealed extremely high intracranial pressure. A CT scan revealed the truth, which explained everything and at the same time took away all hope.

A one-year-old child had a malignant brain tumor the size of a walnut in his head.

Surgery, coma, hydrocephalus

Transport to the Military Hospital in Wrocław took place immediately. The decision was clear. Surgery was necessary. Every minute counted. The neurosurgeon removed the tumor, but not entirely. The rest remained. Like a promise that this story would not end.

Maja remained in a coma. She spent the following weeks in intensive care, hooked up to machines that breathed for her and supported the functions that her body was not yet able to perform.

Soon, more diagnoses followed. Hydrocephalus. Cerebrospinal fluid infection. More transfers between hospitals. External drains. Cleansing the fluid of infection. Waiting for the body to allow further treatment.

The chemotherapy lasted seven months. Seven months of struggle in a body that was just learning to live.

Recurrence and sepsis

Seven months after the first operation, the disease returned. Cancer cells reappeared in the same place. In the summer of 2012, Maja was transported by medical transport to the Children's Health Center in Warsaw. Another operation, another hope, and another blow.

Just a week later, cerebrospinal fluid began to leak from the surgical wound.

She was put back into a medically induced coma. This time for five long months.

When she returned to Wrocław, she weighed seven kilograms. She was three years old. She couldn't eat or breathe on her own.

Years of treatment and complications

The following months and years were not a return to life. It was a continuation. Radiotherapy. Chemotherapy. Rehabilitation. Hospitals in Wrocław and Warsaw, between which my entire existence took place.

Three ventriculoperitoneal shunts were implanted. Maja lost sight in her right eye. Epilepsy became a daily occurrence. Balance disorders and memory loss permanently changed the way she functions.

In 2025, already a teenager, she underwent another valve replacement surgery. A few months later, a huge cyst was removed from her peritoneum. Even growing up did not bring any respite. Today, Maja is almost sixteen. She attends a special school. She is a sensitive, quiet teenager who has found refuge in art. She draws. She paints. She escapes into colors, because only there does her illness lose its voice for a moment.

She cannot leave the house on her own. She cannot remember the way. She could have an epileptic seizure at any moment. The only place she can be alone is the garden. A small piece of the world that gives her the illusion of independence. At school, she is under constant supervision. Every day is a logistical exercise in safety.

A mother who never left her post

For sixteen years , Mai's mother has been by her side. Her father has no contact with his daughter. Everything rests on one person. Care. Treatment. Rehabilitation. Fear. Hope. Hopelessness. And hope again. A mother who has no respite from watching over her daughter. There is no moment when she can put her fear aside. She is a nurse, a therapist, a guide, and the only pillar of her daughter's life. This loneliness is not a choice. It is the price of survival.

Help

This story needs no arguments. Its weight speaks for itself. The funds raised will be used for transportation to hospitals, further treatment, educational support for Maja, and psychological assistance, which is essential after years of trauma, fear, and fighting for each passing day.