Malignant liver cancer and the road to transplantation❗Zuzia's difficult struggle❗

Highlights

  • Diagnosis
    Malignant tumor of the liver and bile ducts
  • Age of the Ward
    17 years
  • Location
  • Mentee
    Zuzanna Kowalczyk

Update

"The numbers that doctors use to describe the test results are, for me and Zuzia, another centimeter in the fight." - Zuzia's mother
The numbers mean more than the study description!
In a follow-up CT scan The tumors in the liver have shrunk again. Compared to December 2025, the extensive change shows further regression and currently consists of four parts. The largest is approximately 12 × 9 × 15.5 cm, followed by 6 × 5 × 6 cm and 4 × 4 × 6 cm, with the smallest being 2.5 cm in diameter. Three more small foci are visible at the lower edge of the liver. For doctors, this is a description of the examination. For Zuzia, these are more centimeters gained thanks to her body's response to chemotherapy.
She has been added to the active list of recipients.
Zuza is ready for the transplant. She was added to the active list of liver recipients. For over a week, her Mom lives in a state of constant vigilance. The phone can ring at any time. One ring will change everything. Both are staying at the Children's Memorial Health Institute hospital. Their vital signs, test results, and body weight are monitored daily. The operation will take about ten hours and will be a huge strain on the body of a seventeen-year-old girl after intensive treatment.
Two hours that will decide everything
After the operation begins, the doctors will provide the first information after about two hours. Is the transplant possible? Are there any metastases or infiltrates? These will be two hours suspended between hope and fear. If everything goes smoothly, The abdominal muscles will not be sutured immediately. Only the skin will be closed. Another procedure is planned after a year. This means a long recovery and subsequent stages of returning to fitness.
At the same time, another battle is underway.
Zuzia was also diagnosed with Scheuermann's disease. It requires intensive rehabilitation to prevent kyphosis from becoming permanent. Even now, while preparing for the transplant, we have to think about her spine and future mobility.
Between hope and vigilance
After her last chemotherapy session, Zuza is gradually regaining her strength. The color is returning to her face, and she is regaining her energy. At the same time, each night is more anxious than the last. This phone call could mark the beginning of one of the most difficult operations of her life. It can also mean a chance for a future life. For the future. For the normality that she fights so bravely for every day.   WAITING... February 12, 2026

Explore the history of

"This is not something a teenager should hear. Yet she heard the drastic diagnosis, and this nightmare continues," says Zuzia's mother.
The illness came suddenly and without warning.

A month before the diagnosis, she started experiencing shoulder pain. Then weakness set in, which could easily be mistaken for the onset of an autumn infection. "I was convinced that the shoulder pain was the result of carrying a heavy backpack with books," recalls her mother. Over time , however , the pain grew worse, until one weekend Zuzia ended up in the emergency room. A series of tests, prolonged silence from the doctors, and finally that extreme diagnosis. Words that no parent is prepared to hear. And questions. How is this possible? Our daughter? Cancer? It can't be. Why her and not me? And yet the nightmare became reality. A huge tumor in her liver. Hepatoblastoma. A malignant tumor of the liver and bile ducts.

The diagnosis left no room for doubt.

Imaging tests revealed a massive tumor measuring 22 × 18 × 21 cm and numerous other lesions reaching 13.5 cm. The AFP level reached 296,347 ng/mL. The diagnosis was clear. Zuzia was referred for intensive chemotherapy and tests in preparation for a liver and bile duct transplant. Fear robbed the family of their sense of control, and everyday life ceased to exist.

Hospital instead of life

Until the day of her diagnosis, Zuzia had never been to a hospital before. From that moment on, her world was confined to the wards of the Children's Health Center in Warsaw. In isolation, in pain, and in constant anticipation of a better tomorrow, of a return to normal life and mundane, everyday problems.

On October 20, 2025, Zuzia underwent a liver needle biopsy and a procedure to implant a vascular port for chemotherapy. Numerous subsequent tests, including a bone marrow biopsy, have ruled out metastasis for the time being.

Zuzanna Kowalczyk – fundraiser for medical treatment

Intensive chemotherapy was started according to the POLPHITT protocol. Three blocks of treatment with cisplatin and doxorubicin. The therapy has been and continues to be repeatedly delayed, even by up to 3.5 weeks, due to severe complications. This is a cause for great concern, as it carries the risk of the tumor becoming resistant to treatment.

In a follow-up CT scan on December 9, 2025, the tumor had shrunk. Two parts of the tumor, measuring 16.5 × 15 × 17.6 cm and 4 × 3 × 4.5 cm, were identified . There were also areas of fresh bleeding. Hope and fear always go hand in hand here.

Treatment without a moment's rest

From the onset of her illness , Zuzia had been at home for only four days. Chemotherapy took away her hair, strength, and immunity. After the first series of treatment, numerous complications arose, and her body was already extremely weakened. She suffered a severe norovirus infection. Constant vomiting and diarrhea, dramatic weight loss, complete inability to eat. Then came further infections, antibiotic therapy, dry and bleeding mucous membranes, ulcers throughout her mouth, and pain so severe that morphine had to be administered.

Due to her inability to eat , Zuzia was placed on parenteral nutrition. Persistent severe vomiting led to a gastroscopy, which revealed inflammation of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. Further antibiotics were prescribed. Zuzia is currently being fed through a tube. She requires frequent blood transfusions due to very low test results. Her daily life consists of lying down, suffering, and waiting. Waiting until the results allow for another round of chemotherapy. Since October 13, 2025, the family's everyday life has been spent in the hospital. Since September, Zuzia has been living in Warsaw with her mother, who cannot return to work because her daughter is very weak and requires round-the-clock care. Zuzia's father and older brother, a student, commute from Krakow. They live out of suitcases. They are in a constant state of tension. Without plans, without stability, without normality.

We kindly ask for your support.

Unfortunately, goodwill and parental love are not enough to defeat cancer. Zuzia faces further stages of chemotherapy and a liver transplant. It is a long, difficult, and burdensome journey, also financially. Non-refundable medications, rehabilitation, treatment of complications, specialized tests, psychological care, and many other costs that are increasing every month.

Every gesture of support is a huge source of strength, comfort, and hope for Zuzia. It is a chance to think about the future with confidence and peace of mind again.

"I hope that Zuzia's upcoming 18th birthday in May will be celebrated twice over and that my daughter will soon get a new life," says her mother.

If you can help Zuzia and her family get through this time a little more easily, we kindly ask you to do so. Even a small gesture makes a difference.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Promote collection

Download the prepared graphics and share them on social media. Encourage your friends to support and share. Put up a poster in your workplace, school, store. Every piece of information increases the chance of winning the Wards!

Every zloty and every share makes a huge difference. Help reach as many people as possible and increase the chances of this collection. Tell your friends, family and community - together we can do more!

Facebook
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Email
Threads

Donate 1,5% tax

Your e-PIT is the easiest way to settle your taxes. The IRS pre-fills your tax returns, and you can verify, approve or correct them.

  • Step 1 - log in to the e-Tax Office and use the e-PIT service.
  • Step 2 - in the PIT return form, click on Select an organization.
  • Step 3 - in the list of organizations, search for Cancer Fighters Foundation or enter the KRS number 0000581036.
  • Step 4 - in the field with the specific goal of 1.5%, indicate the Ward by entering the following data:
  • KRS No.
    0000581036
  • Specific objective
    Zuzanna Kowalczyk

Contributions and words of support

Anonymous
March 3, 2026
♥️
PLN 1,000.00
Eve
March 3, 2026
PLN 100.00
Anonymous
February 23, 2026
Zuziu, I wish you lots of strength. I'm with you!
PLN 50.00
Bohdan
February 19, 2026
PLN 10.00
Anonymous
February 19, 2026
PLN 50.00
Anonymous
February 19, 2026
Stay strong and keep the faith!!!!
PLN 100.00
Przemyslaw
09/01/2026
Get well soon, young lady ;)
PLN 5,000.00
Anonymous
09/01/2026
PLN 2,000.00
Tomasz
09/01/2026
PLN 1,474.00
Cancer Fighters
05/01/2026
PLN 1,000.00
Alexandra
08/01/2026
PLN 1,000.00
Anna
January 10, 2026
Thank you for being with us. Fight and don't give up, Zuzia.
PLN 1,000.00
PLN 71,900.00(144%)
Goal achieved!
The fundraiser was supported by: 547 people
  • Purpose of the collection
    Medications, specialist consultations, rehabilitation, psychological care, ongoing treatment costs

Promote the collection

Download and share materials

Donate 1.5% of your tax

The Foundation's beneficiaries

Download QR code

Moneybox at hand

Malignant liver cancer and the road to transplantation❗Zuzia's difficult struggle❗

PLN 71,900.00(144%)
Goal achieved!
The fundraiser was supported by: 547 people
  • Purpose of the collection
    Medications, specialist consultations, rehabilitation, psychological care, ongoing treatment costs

Highlights

  • Diagnosis
  • Age
    17 years
  • Location
  • Collection
    Zuzanna Kowalczyk

Collection target and updates

"The numbers that doctors use to describe the test results are, for me and Zuzia, another centimeter in the fight." - Zuzia's mother
The numbers mean more than the study description!
In a follow-up CT scan The tumors in the liver have shrunk again. Compared to December 2025, the extensive change shows further regression and currently consists of four parts. The largest is approximately 12 × 9 × 15.5 cm, followed by 6 × 5 × 6 cm and 4 × 4 × 6 cm, with the smallest being 2.5 cm in diameter. Three more small foci are visible at the lower edge of the liver. For doctors, this is a description of the examination. For Zuzia, these are more centimeters gained thanks to her body's response to chemotherapy.
She has been added to the active list of recipients.
Zuza is ready for the transplant. She was added to the active list of liver recipients. For over a week, her Mom lives in a state of constant vigilance. The phone can ring at any time. One ring will change everything. Both are staying at the Children's Memorial Health Institute hospital. Their vital signs, test results, and body weight are monitored daily. The operation will take about ten hours and will be a huge strain on the body of a seventeen-year-old girl after intensive treatment.
Two hours that will decide everything
After the operation begins, the doctors will provide the first information after about two hours. Is the transplant possible? Are there any metastases or infiltrates? These will be two hours suspended between hope and fear. If everything goes smoothly, The abdominal muscles will not be sutured immediately. Only the skin will be closed. Another procedure is planned after a year. This means a long recovery and subsequent stages of returning to fitness.
At the same time, another battle is underway.
Zuzia was also diagnosed with Scheuermann's disease. It requires intensive rehabilitation to prevent kyphosis from becoming permanent. Even now, while preparing for the transplant, we have to think about her spine and future mobility.
Between hope and vigilance
After her last chemotherapy session, Zuza is gradually regaining her strength. The color is returning to her face, and she is regaining her energy. At the same time, each night is more anxious than the last. This phone call could mark the beginning of one of the most difficult operations of her life. It can also mean a chance for a future life. For the future. For the normality that she fights so bravely for every day.   WAITING... February 12, 2026

Explore the history of

"This is not something a teenager should hear. Yet she heard the drastic diagnosis, and this nightmare continues," says Zuzia's mother.
The illness came suddenly and without warning.

A month before the diagnosis, she started experiencing shoulder pain. Then weakness set in, which could easily be mistaken for the onset of an autumn infection. "I was convinced that the shoulder pain was the result of carrying a heavy backpack with books," recalls her mother. Over time , however , the pain grew worse, until one weekend Zuzia ended up in the emergency room. A series of tests, prolonged silence from the doctors, and finally that extreme diagnosis. Words that no parent is prepared to hear. And questions. How is this possible? Our daughter? Cancer? It can't be. Why her and not me? And yet the nightmare became reality. A huge tumor in her liver. Hepatoblastoma. A malignant tumor of the liver and bile ducts.

The diagnosis left no room for doubt.

Imaging tests revealed a massive tumor measuring 22 × 18 × 21 cm and numerous other lesions reaching 13.5 cm. The AFP level reached 296,347 ng/mL. The diagnosis was clear. Zuzia was referred for intensive chemotherapy and tests in preparation for a liver and bile duct transplant. Fear robbed the family of their sense of control, and everyday life ceased to exist.

Hospital instead of life

Until the day of her diagnosis, Zuzia had never been to a hospital before. From that moment on, her world was confined to the wards of the Children's Health Center in Warsaw. In isolation, in pain, and in constant anticipation of a better tomorrow, of a return to normal life and mundane, everyday problems.

On October 20, 2025, Zuzia underwent a liver needle biopsy and a procedure to implant a vascular port for chemotherapy. Numerous subsequent tests, including a bone marrow biopsy, have ruled out metastasis for the time being.

Zuzanna Kowalczyk – fundraiser for medical treatment

Intensive chemotherapy was started according to the POLPHITT protocol. Three blocks of treatment with cisplatin and doxorubicin. The therapy has been and continues to be repeatedly delayed, even by up to 3.5 weeks, due to severe complications. This is a cause for great concern, as it carries the risk of the tumor becoming resistant to treatment.

In a follow-up CT scan on December 9, 2025, the tumor had shrunk. Two parts of the tumor, measuring 16.5 × 15 × 17.6 cm and 4 × 3 × 4.5 cm, were identified . There were also areas of fresh bleeding. Hope and fear always go hand in hand here.

Treatment without a moment's rest

From the onset of her illness , Zuzia had been at home for only four days. Chemotherapy took away her hair, strength, and immunity. After the first series of treatment, numerous complications arose, and her body was already extremely weakened. She suffered a severe norovirus infection. Constant vomiting and diarrhea, dramatic weight loss, complete inability to eat. Then came further infections, antibiotic therapy, dry and bleeding mucous membranes, ulcers throughout her mouth, and pain so severe that morphine had to be administered.

Due to her inability to eat , Zuzia was placed on parenteral nutrition. Persistent severe vomiting led to a gastroscopy, which revealed inflammation of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. Further antibiotics were prescribed. Zuzia is currently being fed through a tube. She requires frequent blood transfusions due to very low test results. Her daily life consists of lying down, suffering, and waiting. Waiting until the results allow for another round of chemotherapy. Since October 13, 2025, the family's everyday life has been spent in the hospital. Since September, Zuzia has been living in Warsaw with her mother, who cannot return to work because her daughter is very weak and requires round-the-clock care. Zuzia's father and older brother, a student, commute from Krakow. They live out of suitcases. They are in a constant state of tension. Without plans, without stability, without normality.

We kindly ask for your support.

Unfortunately, goodwill and parental love are not enough to defeat cancer. Zuzia faces further stages of chemotherapy and a liver transplant. It is a long, difficult, and burdensome journey, also financially. Non-refundable medications, rehabilitation, treatment of complications, specialized tests, psychological care, and many other costs that are increasing every month.

Every gesture of support is a huge source of strength, comfort, and hope for Zuzia. It is a chance to think about the future with confidence and peace of mind again.

"I hope that Zuzia's upcoming 18th birthday in May will be celebrated twice over and that my daughter will soon get a new life," says her mother.

If you can help Zuzia and her family get through this time a little more easily, we kindly ask you to do so. Even a small gesture makes a difference.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Donate 1.5% of your tax

Your e-PIT is the easiest way to settle your taxes. The IRS pre-fills your tax returns, and you can verify, approve or correct them.

Step 1

Log in and use the Your e-PIT service

Step 2

On the PIT return form, click Select Organization

Step 3

In the list of organizations, search for Cancer Fighters Foundation or enter the KRS number 0000581036

Step 4

In the field with the specific goal of 1.5%, indicate the Ward by entering the following data:
  • KRS No.
    0000581036
  • Specific objective
    Zuzanna Kowalczyk

Promote the collection

Download the prepared graphics and share them on social media. Encourage your friends to support and share. Put up a poster in your workplace, school, store. Every piece of information increases the chance of winning the Wards!

Every zloty and every share makes a huge difference. Help reach as many people as possible and increase the chances of this collection. Tell your friends, family and community - together we can do more!

Facebook
X / Twitter
WhatsApp
LinkedIn
Email
Threads

Contributions and words of support

Anonymous
March 3, 2026
♥️
PLN 1,000.00
Eve
March 3, 2026
PLN 100.00
Anonymous
February 23, 2026
Zuziu, I wish you lots of strength. I'm with you!
PLN 50.00
Bohdan
February 19, 2026
PLN 10.00
Anonymous
February 19, 2026
PLN 50.00
Anonymous
February 19, 2026
Stay strong and keep the faith!!!!
PLN 100.00
Przemyslaw
09/01/2026
Get well soon, young lady ;)
PLN 5,000.00
Anonymous
09/01/2026
PLN 2,000.00
Tomasz
09/01/2026
PLN 1,474.00
Cancer Fighters
05/01/2026
PLN 1,000.00
Alexandra
08/01/2026
PLN 1,000.00
Anna
January 10, 2026
Thank you for being with us. Fight and don't give up, Zuzia.
PLN 1,000.00