Help Adam Fight Brain Cancer (Medulloblastoma)

Adam Kocik has lived in Elmhurst for his whole life, having attended the Polish School At Lombard, Field Elementary School and was most recently a happy 8-year-old attending 2nd grade at Emerson Elementary.

 

His mother, Basia, has been part of the Elmhurst community for years, working first as a nanny and then putting herself through school to become an interior designer.  She is currently a color consultant at Sherwin Williams.  Once Adam was born, he became Basia's priority. Nothing was more important than ensuring Adam was grounded in Polish culture while ensuring he had access to a world-class education in Elmhurst's public schools. Basia dedicated herself to raising Adam, and it was working. He excelled in school, with noted passions in mathematics, science, language arts and technology.

 

This all changed at the start of 2022. Adam was dizzy, had trouble focusing and suffered with headaches.  Basia knew something was wrong.  She brought him to doctor after doctor, none of whom were able to find a reason for his pain.  Finally, on February 4th,  Adam received an MRI where the doctors saw the tumor and Adam was immediately admitted to Lurie's  Children's Hospital for emergency surgery on February 5th.  He was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer - Pediatric Medulloblastoma.

 

While the surgery was successful and the whole tumor was removed, doctors knew more was needed to remove the cancer. Adam's treatment was only getting started. He followed surgery with his first six weeks round of radiology and chemotherapy, and now he is recovering as he waits for his next round of treatment.

 

The treatments take a toll on Adam. He is tired, dizzy and struggles to focus. His vision is impaired, he has lost over 30% of his weight, he lost his hair and he currently cannot walk. He is very depressed.

 

Basia's life is now centered around caring for Adam while also maintaining her job. While insurance could cover many of the treatments, it is not enough. The costs of deductibles, co-pays, new clothes, parking, special food, extra therapy, and furniture would be a lot for any family and are a massive strain on Basia's budget. As an example, Adam's skin is now very sensitive so Basia had to recently purchase special new shirts and a new chair to be sure he stays as comfortable as possible.  She also incurs hundreds of dollars of parking fees each time they go to the hospital with many visits ahead.  These are just a few examples. Combine that with missed work and Basia could really use some extra help making sure Adam is getting what he needs through this long journey.

 

Please keep both Basia and Adam in your prayers and consider donating to help Basia defray all of the incidental costs so she can focus on Adam. Every dollar donated will go directly to Basia.

With much appreciation,
Friends and Family of Basia and Adam Kocik