treatment abroad

I am an energetic, smiling and active person. I love sports, nature and water. My life has always been dynamic, and my job – although stressful – gave me satisfaction. I thought I had found balance in it. In every free moment I had, I escaped the city to relax in nature.

I have a wonderful son – loving, empathetic and always ready to support me. In addition to him, I have three adopted children at my side and the most wonderful partner, whose care and concern move me to tears. My parents, despite their advanced age, encourage me and motivate me to act. On this difficult path, I am also accompanied by my older sister, a doctor, who is my good spirit. Without her, I don't know how I would cope. It is they – my loved ones – who give me strength and make me not afraid. At least half of my successes are their merit.

I have a rare cancer – Minen (mixed neuroendocrine non-neuroendocrine neoplasm), which consists of two components: adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine cancer. However, before the correct diagnosis was made and the most effective treatment was determined, I went through a long and exhausting road.

It all started in late August 2022, when I experienced a single episode of abdominal pain. A week later, after an abdominal ultrasound, I was diagnosed with bilateral ovarian tumors. An MRI confirmed the extent of the disease, and then I underwent a laparotomy. The histopathological result indicated a poorly differentiated gastric adenoma.

In October 2022, I started treatment – I received 12 courses of chemotherapy in the FOLFOX regimen. A tomography performed after 6 courses (January 2023) did not show any abnormalities, which gave me hope for improvement. I finished chemotherapy in early April 2023, although towards the end of treatment I was struggling with increasing peripheral neuropathy. Another CT scan in June 2023 also did not show any alarming changes, which confirmed my belief that I had perhaps managed to defeat the disease. I underwent a series of genetic and biochemical tests to determine the source of the tumor, but they did not provide clear answers.

Unfortunately, the fall of 2023 brought a relapse of the disease, despite my good health. I consulted various specialists until I finally found an outstanding histopathologist from the Ministry of Interior and Administration in Warsaw. The professor had no doubts – it was not glandular cancer of the stomach, but Cancer Minen with a dominant intestinal component, where the neuroendocrine part is in the minority.

At the beginning of February 2024, I underwent another laparotomy. Its purpose was to clear the bowel and possibly remove diseased tissues. Unfortunately, the spread of the disease turned out to be so large that the plan could not be carried out, and the only effect of the surgery was the formation of an ileostomy.

I now feel tired and am learning to live with the remaining 2.5 meters of intestine. During the entire treatment process I lost 15 kg, which at my original weight brought me to the brink of malnutrition - now I weigh only 45 kg.

Two weeks after the surgery, as recommended by oncologists, I started systemic chemotherapy in the FOLFOX regimen. This time, the treatment is much more difficult for me. I have already had 7 courses, and each administration is a battle with nausea, fatigue, weakness, cardiotoxicity and dehydration caused by the stoma.

All the doctors who consulted me say that this treatment will accompany me for the rest of my life and that I have no chance of a full recovery. However, I have a different opinion - they don't know me yet and I don't intend to give up!

I am looking for innovative treatment options both in Poland and abroad. There are no treatment programs available in Poland for people with such a rare type of cancer. However, after many consultations, I have a plan - I want to conduct genetic tests that will help determine what therapy will be most effective for me. This is exactly what I would like to raise funds for. Additionally, consultations with foreign centers and possible treatment outside of Poland are associated with huge costs. In addition, there are expenses for rehabilitation, treatment of peripheral neuropathy and combating malnutrition.

I am currently in consultation with professors from Assuta Hospital in Israel and with an organization that specializes in finding the newest and most effective therapies in the world. Both of these centers have impressive successes in treating patients with difficult cases. After these discussions, I believe that finding the right treatment is possible.

I am now facing the next step – ordering an innovative therapy profiled for my disease. However, this involves huge costs, which include not only the drugs themselves, but also consultations, preliminary tests and hospitalization in the appropriate center in the world.

Every day, new medications and treatment regimens appear that I want to join. That is my goal – to find a therapy that will give me a chance at life.

Thank you in advance for any help and best regards.

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