Wilms' tumor. Our three-year-old son's only hope is another surgery.

We never imagined that a simple infection would change so much

Just a few months ago, it seemed that Miłoszek was simply having a harder time with the infection than his younger brother. Jasio returned to his daily play very quickly. Miłoszek, on the other hand, did not. With each passing day, he became more and more sleepy, lost his appetite, and began complaining of a stomachache. Instead of recovering, he was slowly fading away before our very eyes.

Our anxiety grew with each passing day. The symptoms didn't subside, but they began to form a pattern that we couldn't yet make sense of.

During one of his follow-up visits, the doctor suspected a post-viral enlargement of the spleen. Just to be safe, she referred us for an ultrasound. On March 25, 2026, we were told that there was a tumor in our son’s abdomen.

The very next day, we arrived at Przylądek Nadziei in Wrocław. A series of tests, conducted almost nonstop, confirmed the worst-case scenario. Miłosz has a malignant kidney tumor, known as Wilms’ tumor.

Everything was leading up to the operation

Chemotherapy began on March 31. The treatment plan called for four cycles, which were intended to prepare our son for surgery to remove the tumor. Along the way, however, another obstacle arose. Just before the last cycle, Miłoszek came down with RSV. For a week, the doctors battled the infection, and we counted down the days, hoping we’d be able to get back on track with his treatment.

As soon as his condition improved, we immediately returned to Cape of Hope. It seemed that we were really close to the surgery on which so much would depend.

On May 5, a follow-up MRI was performed. It was a moment we will never forget. The scan showed that the tumor had grown from seven to eighteen centimeters. But that wasn’t the end of the bad news. The tumor had already fused with the spleen, the celiac trunk, and the pancreas. Despite the enormous risk, the doctors decided to proceed with the surgery.

Operation

On May 11, we waited outside the operating room, hoping for good news. When the doctor came out after the surgery, even before he said anything, we already knew that not everything had gone according to plan. The professor explained that the risk was too great. We also remember the doctor’s words that “the tumor looks gruesome,” despite his many years of experience. The doctors took only a small sample for a biopsy. The results confirmed a blastema-type Wilms tumor.

We also recently received the test results from Germany. We had been waiting for them in the hope that they would shed some light on the situation or bring about at least a small breakthrough. Unfortunately, they didn’t reveal anything new; they merely confirmed what we already knew.

Today, everything depends on chemotherapy

A few days after the surgery, Miłoszek resumed chemotherapy. Its sole purpose today is to cause the tumor to detach from the organs to which it is adhered.

This is the only way to proceed to the next surgery and the only chance for the doctors to safely remove the tumor. So every new round of treatment brings hope that what we’re waiting for with all our might will happen.

Our world came to a standstill by the hospital bed

Since the end of March, our lives have ceased to resemble what we knew before. I had to quit my job so I could be with Miłosz every day. Our closest family members are helping us arrange care for our one-and-a-half-year-old son, Jaś. Without their support, we wouldn’t have been able to get through this time. It hurts us deeply to be separated from our little boys. Although Jasio doesn’t yet understand why his mom and brother aren’t coming home for so long, he misses them very much.

When they finally get to see each other, they enjoy each other’s company in a way that only children can. We look at Miłosz then, and for a brief moment, we see once again an ordinary three-year-old who, together with his brother, can forget about the whole world. We dream that one day his childhood will look just like this again.

Please help

Our little boy is facing another round of chemotherapy, tests, and decisions that will determine whether he can undergo his next surgery. We wholeheartedly ask for your support in our fight.

We so desperately want to hear one day that the tumor can finally be safely removed, and that a real chance at good health is opening up for our little boy.