When Oluś entered the world, his parents thought they had welcomed a healthy, joyful baby boy. However, fate had different plans, challenging their strength, faith, and love in unimaginable ways.
Just six months after his birth, tragedy struck. Olek, as his family affectionately calls him, was rushed to the hospital after suddenly losing vital functions. His small body lay still in a sterile hospital bed while doctors fought to save him. The diagnosis was swift: posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus — a dangerous accumulation of fluid in the brain that can be fatal if untreated.
Surgeons placed a ventriculoperitoneal shunt to drain the fluid and save his life. For a brief moment, there was relief — a fragile hope that perhaps the worst was behind them. But just days later, doctors found a large blood clot in his brain’s vena cava, warning the family that it was a miracle Olek had survived at all.
“We spent our first Christmas and New Year’s Eve in the hospital,” recalls his father, Aleksander Gadaszewski. “We were finally discharged in January, but just a few months later, we returned — this time with sepsis. The shunt had damaged his peritoneum. It felt like we were trapped within the hospital walls.”
That stay lasted over two months in an isolation ward. The machines, the beeping, the scent of disinfectant became part of their daily existence. Their son’s first milestones were not first words or steps; they were moments of survival.
A Life Defined by Hospital Visits
The following months were equally challenging. The shunt valve — the device sustaining Olek’s life — frequently malfunctioned. Each time, they rushed to the emergency room, terrified of what the next diagnosis might reveal.
“We visited so often that the nurses recognized us by name,” Aleksander shares. “It felt like we lived at the hospital.”
Eventually, doctors opted to replace the valve with a more advanced model. This time, Olek’s condition improved significantly. For the first time in a long while, his parents dared to hope.
They enrolled him in a special needs preschool, hoping it would foster his independence. But life had more challenges in store.
Olek began experiencing recurring infections, sleep apnea, and breathing difficulties. Doctors later diagnosed him with adenoid hypertrophy and a submucous cleft palate — an undetected condition that made surgeries riskier. Finding a surgeon willing to operate was nearly impossible, but eventually, a doctor in Olsztyn agreed to take the risk. The surgery was successful.
For a fleeting moment, there was hope once more.
When Hope Turns to Fear
Then came July 2, 2024 — a day that would forever haunt them.
That morning, Olek suffered a severe seizure that halted his breathing. His parents watched in horror as paramedics worked tirelessly to revive him.
“It took two hours in the ER to stabilize him,” Aleksander recalls quietly. “Two hours that felt like an eternity.”
He survived — yet another miracle — but the fear lingered. In January, a second seizure occurred. Now, each day is shadowed by the quiet dread of what if it happens again?
Doctors cautioned that anti-epileptic medications could further harm Olek’s already delicate brain. The family lives in constant uncertainty, weighing the risks of medication against the threat of another seizure.
Fighting for His Future
Despite the challenges, Olek’s days are filled with determination — both his and his parents’. He participates in therapy sessions with a comprehensive team of specialists: neurologists, neurosurgeons, speech therapists, psychologists, and physiotherapists.
Every visit, every session, every kilometer traveled for treatment adds up. And so do the expenses.
“The costs are staggering,” Aleksander admits. “Rehabilitation, travel, medications — it’s overwhelming. But we can’t stop. We must give him every opportunity to live as independently as possible.”
And Olek fights alongside them. With each session, he learns a little more — a few new words, improved balance, a moment of laughter. His smile, delicate yet fierce, reminds his parents of their purpose.
“He’s endured more than most adults ever will,” his mother states. “Yet he still smiles. He finds joy in the smallest things — a balloon, a song, a hug.”
A Call for Compassion
Olek’s journey is not solely about illness; it embodies courage — the kind that quietly resides in hospital rooms and sleepless nights. It’s about a family that refuses to succumb to despair, even when the odds seem insurmountable.
Their home may be filled with medical equipment and therapy schedules, but it is also filled with love — a love so powerful it propels them forward, one step at a time.
Now, they seek assistance — not from a place of weakness, but from a place of hope.
“Every donation, every kind word, every prayer means the world to us,” Aleksander expresses. “It helps us provide our son with what every child deserves — a chance to grow, to learn, to live.”
For Olek, every small victory counts — a breath, a step, a smile. And for his parents, every moment spent holding him close is a reminder of what they are fighting for: life itself.
Because some heroes don’t wear capes. Some are small enough to fit in their mother’s arms — with eyes full of light and a heart that refuses to give up.
And his name is Oluś. 💙
