Nela's whole world locked in a hospital room❗ Desperate fight against leukemia continues❗

Nela's smile suddenly dimmed

Nela, until recently full of energy and childlike laughter, began to unexpectedly stop playing. Her legs refused to obey, and after a short walk she begged to be taken in her arms. Drowsiness slowly crowded out the child's energy, while pale lips and recurring stomach pains made her parents increasingly concerned. Although she was not running a fever and eating as usual, something was clearly fading in her tiny body.

Dramatic news

The symptoms did not disappear, as if silently demanding an explanation. The parents decided to look for answers in blood tests. That day became memorable with all the details - the moment when the words came over the phone: "You need to go to the hospital immediately. The results are very bad." The phone call from the lab came unexpectedly and changed lives in an instant - irrevocably.

Hurriedly, with the sentence still ringing in their ears, the parents packed Nela's belongings. They were led through the jammed city by a police escort. Moments later leukemia suspected - another blow to the hearts already wounded by fear.

There was still a smoldering hope that maybe it wasn't true, that we could break out of this disease. However, it was extinguished after a bone marrow biopsy performed at the Department of Pediatrics, Hematology and Oncology in Gdansk. The diagnosis sounded inexorable - ALL type B acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Intensive treatment

Therapy according to the AIEOP-BFM 2017 POLAND protocol has begun. The first days were a series of procedures under general anesthesia - bone marrow biopsy, lumbar punctures, Broviac implantation, imaging studies. Each procedure was another blow, however, inscribed in the necessity of treatment. Nela receives very strong drugs - vincristine, doxorubicin, methotrexate and steroids.

It's a therapy that is designed to destroy cancer cells, but in the process hits the baby's small, delicate body. The treatment will take at least two years, with the first eight months spent almost exclusively in the hospital.

Family in separation

Nela spends most of her time in the hospital, where her mother watches by her bedside. Dad tries to combine work with taking care of the house and his siblings. Igor and Nadia wait at home, longing for the common games and everyday life that was suddenly missing. Illness has separated the family, and the childhood of all three has been marked by anxiety and longing.

Allocation of funds

Funds from the collection will help with what is most urgent today: the cost of travel to the hospital, the purchase of unreimbursed medications, and a special diet to support a weakened body.
In the future, rehabilitation and care from specialists will be needed to help Nelcia recover from her treatment.