A Livingston family are racing against the clock to get their 24-year-old son the care he needs after a suspected hernia was found to be incurable cancer.
Karolina Jablonska (28) told how her family were shocked at the diagnosis, as her brother Michal (24) struggled to walk at a family holiday to the Lake District in July.
A trip to the GP in England led to the Jablonska family believing it was a hernia.
However, a few weeks later, back in Scotland, a scan revealed Michal to have stage four chondroblastic osteosarcoma.
The incredibly rare form of cancer is difficult to treat and manifests as bone tumours.
The disease was only discovered in the young man at stage IV, meaning it had spread to other parts of his body.
He bravely underwent several rounds of chemotherapy, supported by his sister, mother, father, and girlfriend, who moved into the family’s Livingston home following the diagnosis.
Karolina said: “It was a big shock for us, obviously we were devastated by the diagnosis.
“You just don’t expect a suspected hernia to turn up as cancer stage four.
“We never had any history of cancer in our family, so the diagnosis really rocked us. We had to do all our research on cancer, where it comes from, how it started, and what we could do to support my brother.
“Myself and my family are all doing our best to support him as much as we can. My mother has stopped working so she can be with Michal as much as she can.
“He’s only in his mid-20s but he now has to use a wheelchair and can’t leave the house without my mum.
“He had just passed his driving test and was in the process of getting a mortgage on a new-build flat but that fell through after the diagnosis.”
The chemotherapy seemed to be working in the beginning as a scan in October showed the tumour had stopped growing.
Cancer spots that were on his lungs had also disappeared which was encouraging for the family.
In January, a new CT scan revealed that the illness had progressed however, with the cancer spreading back to his lungs, chest, and spine.
Doctors delivered the crushing news that the chemotherapy he was receiving was no longer effective, and that his cancer was incurable.
They gave a survival prognosis of a few months.
The NHS was unable to offer anything to Michal other than palliative care, with the young man now receiving targeted chemotherapy to help ease the pain and prolong his life.
Michal and his family did not give up that easily though, and have started looking for alternative treatment options abroad.
Karolina said: “We were devastated. It took a few days for us to get ourselves together. I’m the most organised person in the family, so I knew it was up to me to look for treatment elsewhere.
“I’m still working full-time so it’s a lot, but we’ll do whatever it takes and go wherever we have to if it means we can make Michal get the treatment he needs.
“I’ve spoken with clinics in Germany, Vienna, Mexico, America, Poland – sending off Michal’s medical history, doing video consultations, and doing research into all these places takes a lot of time which is a lot of pressure – but the biggest barrier to treatment is money.”
Covid-19 has also been a barrier for the family, with some clinics not taking on international patients due to transmission risks.
A clinic in Vienna would require travelling back and forth every four weeks, which could prove difficult should there be further lockdowns.
The first institution willing to accept Michal as a patient is based in Tijuana, Mexico – although the cost of care starts at around $36,000.
The family then set up a crowdfunding campaign to help raise the necessary funds to get Michal the care he needs.
So far they have raised £22,000 of their £32,000 goal in just 10 days.
The community has rallied around the Jablonska family, with many local businesses in Livingston gathering cash for the family through money boxes.
Karolina said: “I’m so surprised, and to be honest, overwhelmed by the support the community has given us – the fundraiser is going amazing.
“We are so appreciative of any and all support, it’s so generous and we can’t thank everyone enough. It just keeps going up and that money will go so far in getting Michal the treatment he needs.”
Karolina’s friend is a graphic designer, who created flyers for the campaign with a QR code leading to the GoFundMe page.
Another family friend is a manager of two local Polish shops, who have begun selling chocolate with all proceeds going to the Jablonskas.
However, if all else fails, Michal could yet receive care in Edinburgh, with a meeting about a clinical trial at the Capital’s Western General Hospital scheduled for later this month.
Karolina said: “Sharing our story on Facebook and Instagram helps out so much as well.
“If anyone has had a family member or friend who has gone through something similar, and knows any doctors or specialists that could help Michal – please get in touch with us.”
You can support the Jablonska family in getting Michal treatment through their GoFundMe page – https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-save-michals-life
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