Treatment in NY 2 save Szymon's Eye
Dear people of goodwill, friends,
I NEED YOUR HELP!!!.
My Name is Lukasz Sodel.
I am living and working in Ashbourne for over 8 years.
Studying in ITB Blanchardstown.
Many of you probably have seen me many times on the street or in the shop.
I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP !!!
My 15 months old nephew Szymon fights in vain with RETINOBLASTOMA (eye cancer) since he was 3 months old.
The doctors in Poland have lost their hope and they want to remove his eye.
This does not give 100% guarantee, the cancer will not recurrence somewhere else.
Because of that, we’ve made a decision to send all the medical documentation to Dr. David Abramson, the head of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and we've received an answer that Dr. Abramson is willing to save Szymon's eye, his LIFE.
But this treatment is very expensive.
Acording to the 3 invoices, which we've received from Dr. Abramson, the first 3 months of treatment and egzamination might cost 318k USD if there is no complications and then Szymon has to attend for series of examination every few weeks for the next 6 years, so everything together will cost 460 000 euro or more.
During the first two weeks, we have collected 40k euro.
This is not enough!!!
In this speed, we need 12 more weeks to reach 460k euro...
My nephew Szymon does not have so much time.
His next examination is on the 6th of September, when doctors are going to make final decision.
Here is a short story of Szymon's battle with eye cancer:
He was told 6 times about Cancer recurrence!
He has had a blood transufusion 3 times,
flat retinal detachments
and once his vital parameters almost stopped during
the Melphalan injection!
There is not much time left.
The only hope we have left is you.
And here is his Diary:
"DEAR DIARY… My Name is Szymon and this is my story:
25.05.2015
I was born and came into the World. When I first time looked at my mommy, I felt warmth, bless and love.
15.08.2015
My mommy looks at me somehow strange. She is staring at me all days long, looking straight into my eyes.
Well, I haven’t got used to is yet so I feel a bit embarrassed, but hey, this is my mom so I look at her smiling. But I don’t understand why she doesn’t smile in return?
18.08.2015
We woke up early morning today and I don’t like this idea. I want to sleep more.
My mom took me to Hospital, where I couldn’t recognise any face. All these strangers around started doing very weird things to me. My mommy didn’t give me any milk since this morning so I was very hungry, angry and I wanted to sleep. My mom, instead of cheering me up, was crying, thinking that I don’t see it.
The nurse put me into the crib and brought into the elevator to take me few levels down. We were all sitting in the corridor, waiting for something. My mommy stroked my head, saying nothing. The door suddenly opened and we entered the cold, dark room. I don’t remember anything. Later, it was only getting worse. This cold, dark room is a place where they make you sleep, performing general anaesthesia and they do the funduscopic examination. After that, the milk didn’t taste the same, the tears were more salty than usual and my mommy’s face turned white. The doctor told her something bad as she broke down crying.
The doctor made a diagnosis – it was like death sentence – RETINOBLASTOMA (eye cancer).
19.08.2015
We went for a MRI scanning performed under the general anaesthesia. So it seems that the story repeats itself. Again hungry and angry, again cold and dark room and, worst of all, my mommy cries again.
The MRI showed that the tumour is only in my left eye. The doctors decided to treat me with chemotherapy called JOE. They constantly pumped a poison into my vein for two long days.
20.08.2015
The first phase of Chemo took two days and because I am so small (not even 3 months old), they kept me in the hospital till Saturday. When I came back home, I felt very weak. I wanted to sleep all the time and I didn’t want to eat, so on Wednesday I had to come back to the hospital, where I had a blood transfusion, I got some antibiotics and they gave me loads of special fluids to stop the dehydration of my body. Although I felt much better, I had to stay in the hospital for a week.
10.09.2015
Another visit in the hospital. They draw my blood for genetic testing and they inserted a Broviac catheter into my vein, which is a central venous catheter most often used for the administration of chemotherapy or other medications, as well as for the withdrawal of blood for analysis.
11.09.2015
I had another blood transfusion and another dose of chemo. I had to stay in hospital till Monday, when I could go home to stay with my older brother for just three short weeks.
01.10.2015
WOW, GOOD NEWS!!! After another funduscopic examination in the dark cold room, my doctor told my mommy amazing news. He said that I am a little fighter and there is very good reaction to the chemo, which means that there is a massive calcification in posterior pole of an eye. There are some remainings of the tumour in the area behind retina and no retinal detachment.
My older brother Mateusz also had some eye tests, which didn’t show anything wrong, but he will have to pass the funduscopic examination under general anaesthesia to confirm the first diagnose. This gave us hope that the worst nightmare will be over eventually.
To kill the tumour, I received another two doses of the JOE chemo to which my body reaction was positive.
24.10.2015
Another chemo…
28.10.2015
Blood transfusion, bad test results, high temperature, infection, more antibiotics…
30.10.2015
They let me go home for few days.
12.11.2015
Another funduscopic examination, general anaesthesia, hunger, cold and dark room and my mom cries again. No reaction at all to chemo. It is neither better nor worse than before.
01.01.2016
Instead of celebrating New Year, we had to go to the hospital, because I’ve got intertrigo around the Broviac, so they had to remove it and insert a Venflon in a vain on my head.
07.01.2016
Funduscopic examination, general anaesthesia, Cancer recurrence! Plenty of little tumours spread in the eye.
11.01.2016
They made me sleep again and they gave me chemotherapy drug called Melphalan.
04.02.2016
Another funduscopic examination under general anaesthesia… ALL TUMOURS STILL ACTIVE!
The Doctor performed cryotherapy treatment in the areas of retina, where the chemotherapy drug has limited access. This means the chemo treatment with Melphalan will take much longer than usual and on Monday I will have another treatment performed.
There are good news too. My older brother Mateusz, passed all his health examinations and his eyes are 100% healthy.
08.02.2016
During the chemotherapy treatment as my vital parameters were very low, they had to stop giving me Melphalan and I ended up in intensive-care ward.
25.02.2016
Another funduscopic examination, general anaesthesia, with an empty stomach, TWO NEW CANCER RECURRENCES, which were removed by laser.
They (the doctors) decided to give the Melphalan another try.
07.03.2016
Unfortunately, another attempt of giving me Melphalan failed due to some TECHNICAL PROBLEM WITH MEDICAL EQUIPMENT. Happily, it just happened before they started the treatment!!!
10.03.2016
Finally, they gave me Melphalan.
24.03.2016
Funduscopic examination, general anaesthesia – the cancer is inactive.
31.03.2016
They gave me another portion of chemotherapy. This time all three agents.
26.04.2016
Another funduscopic examination, general anaesthesia, with an empty stomach, cold and dark room, and good reaction to chemo so the doctors decided to FINISH THE CHEMOTHERAPY.
31.05.2016
Funduscopic examination under the general anaesthesia showed NEW TUMOURS which were removed using cryotherapy.
21.06.2016
Funduscopic examination, general anaesthesia, with an empty stomach – the tumours are inactive.
19.07.2016
Funduscopic examination under the general anaesthesia showed NEW TUMOURS which were removed using cryotherapy.
16.08.2016
Funduscopic examination under the general anaesthesia showed NEW TUMOURS which were removed using cryotherapy. Besides this, they found some flat retinal detachments in the entire area of my eye.
Doctors informed my mommy that if there will be any signs of cancer recurrences, during the next examination, they WILL HAVE TO REMOVE MY EYE.
21.08.2016
TODAY IS EXACTLY ONE YEAR SINCE I STARTED MY BATTLE WITH THE CANCER, TO SAVE MY EYE, HEALTH, MY LIFE!!!
My parents still fight for me and they’ve made a decision to send all the medical documentation to Dr. David Abramson, the head of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and they received an answer that Dr. Abramson is willing to save my eye, my life.
There is one problem.
The treatment will cost us around $500 000 or 460000€
Nobody in our family can afford this money.
The only hope for rising these money is YOU.
If you would like to support me and add up even a little amount of money, I will be extremely happy and will never forget you this.
I believe that with your help, I WILL WIN THIS BATTLE!!
Thank You!
Szymon."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56quBlTFYsw" target="_blank">http://rycerzeiksiezniczki.pl/kids/szymon/?lang=en https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56quBlTFYsw
