A ticking bomb in Natanek's head❗ HELP❗

The body gave a sign

At the end of March 2023, Natanek began to limp on his right leg. On the surface, it looked harmless - just maybe a minor contusion, an overload, something that would pass in a moment. However, the parents did not trivialize the symptoms and went to the doctor. This one also saw nothing alarming, recognizing that it was a joint problem, and recommended anti-inflammatory treatment.

Only a few days had passed when the boy's condition rapidly deteriorated. He lost feeling in his right hand, and his movements became unsteady and uncoordinated. These were no longer ordinary symptoms. His parents immediately took him to the hospital on Koszarowa Street in Wroclaw, where a series of tests were performed: ultrasound of the knees, abdomen and pelvis, and chest X-ray. All the results came out normal, yet they could not pinpoint the cause. The doctors decided to look deeper.

Natanek's brain contained a tumor five centimeters in diameter, which was compressing the centers responsible for sensation and movement of the right side of the body. The diagnosis was shocking, but the prognosis was even more difficult. Two weeks to live and palliative treatment. Those words sounded like a verdict.

Fight against time

In a few hours, medical transport was organized and Natanek was taken to the Upper Silesian Children's Health Center in Katowice. On May 9, the boy's life-saving operation was performed there. Surgeons, in an operation that lasted nearly five hours, removed eighty-five percent of the tumor. The remaining part of the tumor, involving the optic chiasm and hypothalamus, carried too much risk to attempt removal due to its location.

Doctors regularly monitor the boy's condition with further MRIs. The tumor is not growing, but it is not disappearing either. A shadow remains in Natanek's head, which could awaken again at any moment. In November 2023, there was another neurosurgical consultation, followed shortly thereafter by hospitalization in the ophthalmology clinic. Tests showed thinning of nerve fibers in both eyes - the result of tumor compression. Since then, the boy has been under the constant care of specialists. He requires regular observation, rehabilitation and attentive care so that his eyesight does not deteriorate further.

Still over the precipice

Natan lives with a ticking bomb in his head. Every day is an attempt to find a balance between hope and fear. His parents try to give him a sense of security, but every fall, every headache or hesitation in movement is a reminder that there is no peace, and that everything can change in just one moment.

Mom has devoted herself entirely to caring for her son and his two older sisters. She does not work, because Natan needs her constantly. The boy's sisters, though still young, have had to grow up faster. They know that their brother needs quiet, peace and love. Life for this family is a constant vigil. It is a daily life on the verge of fear and hope, in which every smile of the boy is simply priceless.

Breath needed

Natan requires constant rehabilitation, eye care, classes with a psychologist and regular check-ups. These are daily expenses that have become not only a challenge for the family, but also a struggle for peace and a sense of security. Every zloty is support on a journey whose end no one knows, and at the same time a spark of hope that the shadow in the boy's head will never wake up again. The shadow of the disease is ticking in Natanek's head, but the childlike desire for life is reflected in his eyes.