When Ignacy — or Ignaś, as his parents affectionately refer to him — entered the world, he was a beacon of health. He laughed freely, achieved every developmental milestone, and brought immense joy to his family. His parents beamed with pride as they witnessed his first steps, heard his first words, and watched him explore his surroundings. Life felt wonderfully ordinary — filled with hope, laughter, and love.
However, shortly after his first birthday, everything began to shift.
Initially, it was minor changes — behaviors his parents dismissed as quirks or phases. He stopped using words he had previously mastered. He appeared more withdrawn and less engaged. Then came the confusion, the tears, and the long stretches of silence where laughter once resided.
Before long, their vibrant, inquisitive little boy was fading away right before their eyes.
The first heartbreaking diagnosis from doctors was childhood autism. Yet, the rapidity and intensity of the changes felt inexplicable. Ignaś hadn’t been born this way — something was happening to him. Thus began a frantic quest for answers that would dominate the next two years of his parents’ lives.
“We spent months in doctors’ offices and hospital hallways,” his mother recalls. “Countless consultations, endless tests, sleepless nights, and so many tears. We just wanted to understand what was happening to our little boy.”
Their search led to a new and alarming discovery: autoimmune encephalitis — a rare and intricate condition where the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the brain. It results in inflammation, seizures, loss of speech, cognitive decline, and behavioral changes. This diagnosis clarified everything — and shattered their hearts once more.
Their son’s body was turning against itself.
“Imagine watching your child disappear and feeling powerless to stop it,” his father says softly. “One moment he’s running into your arms, and the next, he doesn’t even recognize you.”
The doctors conveyed that there was hope — but it came with a hefty price. The only viable treatment for Ignaś’s condition was immunoglobulin therapy, a private procedure that could soothe his immune system and halt the inflammation harming his brain. The challenge was the cost: tens of thousands of złoty per dose, far beyond the means of any typical family.
Nevertheless, they refused to give up.
They sold what they could. They borrowed. They exhausted their savings on medical tests, genetic and metabolic screenings, neurological evaluations — anything that might offer their son another chance. But after two years, their resources were depleted. And Ignaś’s needs only intensified.
Every day is a battle — against time, against fatigue, against the sorrow of witnessing their beloved child trapped in an illness that prevents him from being himself.
At just a few years old, Ignaś cannot speak. He struggles to maintain eye contact, to play, to engage with the world around him. Yet his parents catch glimpses of hope — fleeting moments when his eyes sparkle, when he reaches for a toy, when he unexpectedly laughs. Those instances remind them that he’s still there, still fighting to return.
Rehabilitation has become their lifeline. Ignaś spends hours each week with therapists — learning to move, to focus, to interact once more. Every small progress feels monumental. “When he holds our hand,” his mother shares, “it feels like a miracle.”
However, without ongoing therapy and immunoglobulin treatment, those delicate improvements could disappear. That’s why they’ve reached out to the generosity of others — to strangers who recognize that compassion can transform lives.
“We’re out of options,” they confess. “We’ve done everything we can. Now, we’re seeking help — not for ourselves, but for our son. So he can have a chance at a normal life.”
Every contribution brings them closer to hope — to a future where their little boy can speak again, laugh again, live again.
Because behind every medical term, every hospital visit, lies a simple truth: Ignaś is a child — a beautiful, innocent child who deserves the opportunity to grow, to love, to be free from pain.
His parents refuse to abandon him. And they implore, from the depths of their hearts, that no one else does either.
Every small act of kindness matters. Every contribution brings him one step closer to recovery. Help them restore the light in their little boy’s eyes — and the laughter that once filled their home.
