Help Grzesiu’s Family During His Bone Marrow Transplant

Dear friends, family, and kind-hearted supporters,

As some of you may know, this past summer our beloved Grzesiu was hospitalized with a severe liver injury, nearly losing his liver. He spent much of the summer in and out of the hospital, undergoing constant treatments and procedures. Doctors have since discovered that this was due to an immune dysregulation called CD8 T Cell Hepatitis, essentially causing the immune system to attack the liver.

After several hospitalizations, countless infusions, weekly trips to Manhattan, and many missed school days, we started to see a drastic improvement in his liver function. Sadly, this was just the beginning of Grzesiu’s health challenges—while his liver showed marked improvement, his blood cell counts have progressively declined. Unfortunately, children who experience CD8 T Cell Hepatitis are at high risk of developing life-threatening complications, including aplastic anemia, a severe condition in which the bone marrow can no longer produce enough blood cells. Grzesiu’s doctors promptly performed a bone marrow biopsy and the worst was confirmed—his bone marrow is failing and he will need a bone marrow transplant.

Our once completely healthy Grzesiu is now transfusion-dependent and awaiting a life-saving transplant. The procedure will require an extensive hospitalization with his parents needing to be by his side throughout while simultaneously taking care of Grzesiu’s 4 and 7-year-old siblings. The family faces not only the emotional weight of Grzesiu’s health crisis but also a significant financial burden.

I am asking for your support to help ease their financial strain. Your donations will go directly toward covering unforeseen expenses—so that the family can focus entirely on Grzesiu’s recovery. Every contribution makes a difference, enabling them to navigate this journey with a little less worry.

It goes without saying that Grzesiu is an extraordinary kid. He has been a light in our lives for 8 years and continues to leave a lasting impression on everyone around him. From taking the sweetest care of his 4-year-old sister to out-dancing everyone at family parties to being named student of the month not once but twice in one year to winning over every nurse in the hospital—he has exemplified over and over again what a remarkable child he is. To see him struggle and spend weeks in a hospital bed has been a level of pain we could have never imagined. We wish nothing more than to see him return to enjoying his childhood.

In this challenging time, your generosity, prayers, and love mean everything to the Kotowski family.

Thank you for being a part of Grzesiu’s fight.