Nothing could have prepared us for the moment we heard those two words that no parent should ever hear: brain tumor. Our hearts shattered instantly, and the world we knew collapsed around us. Patryk, our precious little boy, had just turned eight months old when life began testing him—and us—in ways we never imagined.
From the very beginning, Patryk’s journey was filled with uncertainty. His first days were spent in and out of hospitals, undergoing countless procedures and checkups. Weeks blended into months as we navigated the sterile corridors, holding our child’s tiny hand and praying for answers. At eight months, Patryk had hearing surgery. Later, he underwent another operation on his kidney, which had stopped functioning properly. Each time, we clung to hope, thinking this would be the end of his struggles.
For a few years, life seemed stable. Routine checkups became the rhythm of our days, and we allowed ourselves the fragile comfort of normalcy. But in November 2023, that comfort vanished. Suddenly, Patryk’s hearing and vision began to deteriorate. His laughter grew quieter, his smiles rarer. His behavior changed in ways that left us questioning if we even knew our own child. Week by week, we watched him decline, powerless to help him, desperate for answers.
Eventually, specialists ordered an MRI, and the results shattered any remaining calm we had. A lesion had formed in Patryk’s brain. The next day, the diagnosis was confirmed: a brain tumor. Our son, so small and innocent, was carrying a ticking time bomb inside his head. The fear, disbelief, and helplessness we felt were overwhelming.
Patryk was urgently admitted for surgery to remove the tumor. Those two weeks in the hospital were some of the most harrowing days of our lives. We stayed by his side, holding him, whispering words of love and courage, wishing we could take his pain upon ourselves. For a moment, it seemed as if the worst was over. But fate had another blow in store. Just a day after being discharged, Patryk suddenly collapsed at home. An ambulance rushed him back to the hospital. Despite a seemingly successful surgery, complications had emerged, and we were forced to start the search for answers all over again.
Through your support, we were able to consult with a specialized clinic in Germany. The biopsy results confirmed our deepest fears: Patryk had been diagnosed with diffuse grade IV glioma, one of the most aggressive and dangerous forms of brain cancer. Our hearts broke anew, but in the face of despair, our determination strengthened. We cannot, and will not, allow this disease to define our child’s life.
Our mission now is clear: we must pursue every possible avenue of treatment, consultations with international specialists, and advanced diagnostics. We are willing to do everything in our power to save Patryk, to restore the laughter and light that he brings into our lives. If we could shoulder his pain for him, we would, without hesitation. But we cannot. We need help.
The costs are overwhelming. Treatment, rehabilitation, and specialized diagnostics abroad are beyond what we can cover alone. Yet every day, every test, every moment of care is crucial for Patryk’s chance at life. We believe that hope is not lost, that fate can change, and that our son can still recover—but only with the support of those who are willing to stand with us in this fight.
Patryk is more than a patient; he is a vibrant, brave, and resilient little boy whose spirit refuses to be broken. Every smile he shares, every small victory, reminds us why we fight so hard. His life is precious, and we will not give up.
We are asking from the depths of our hearts for help. Your support, your prayers, your generosity can make the difference between despair and hope, between fear and the possibility of recovery. Patryk deserves a chance—a chance to grow, to laugh, to live the childhood he dreams of. Together, we can give him that chance.
Please, join us in this fight. Stand with Patryk. Help save his life. Every contribution, every share, every word of support brings us closer to giving our son the future he deserves.
Parents of Patryk Tomaszewski
Byron’s Fight to Breathe Through Prematurity and Hope.2695
Welcoming a baby into the world earlier than expected is terrifying under any circumstances. But for Miracle Mum Nikki, that fear was magnified by something no one could control—the global COVID-19 pandemic. As the world shut down, her tiny son Byron began a fight for survival that would test the limits of medicine, endurance, and a mother’s hope.
Byron was born at just 25 weeks and 3 days, weighing only 840 grams and measuring 35 centimeters long. From the moment he arrived, Nikki knew his journey would not be easy. In those first fragile days, Byron surprised everyone. With only a small amount of breathing support, he managed to keep going for six days, clinging to life with a strength that belied his size.
But on the seventh day, his tiny body began to tire.
Byron could no longer sustain his breathing on his own. He began having repeated “blue episodes,” moments where his oxygen levels dropped dangerously low. Doctors made the decision no parent ever wants to hear—they needed to place him on a breathing tube. For Nikki, watching her newborn connected to machines was heartbreaking, but she trusted the medical team with everything she had.
Getting Byron off the breathing tube proved incredibly difficult. He tried—and failed—four separate times. Each attempt ended with his exhausted lungs giving out. The final time he was intubated, his condition was critical. Doctors turned to a rescue treatment rarely needed at such extremes:
high-frequency ventilation, delivering 600 breaths per minute, paired with nitric oxide gas to help his lungs function. Byron was sedated for 36 hours while the machines breathed for him.
During those hours, Nikki and her family were told the words no parent should ever hear.
They were asked to prepare to say goodbye.
Time seemed to stand still. Nikki lived moment to moment, suspended between unbearable fear and desperate prayer. Every beep of a monitor felt like a verdict. Every hour felt endless. She held onto the smallest flickers of hope, refusing to believe that her son’s story would end there.
And then—slowly—something changed.
When Byron came out of sedation, he began to improve. His oxygen needs eased. His tiny chest moved more steadily. For the first time in what felt like forever, Nikki allowed herself to believe they might be moving toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
Byron was transferred to special care, a milestone that felt like a victory. But NICU journeys are rarely straightforward. Just five days later, he was moved back again after struggling with his immunisations. For twelve long hours, Byron turned blue and floppy, frightening everyone around him. He was placed back on high-flow oxygen as doctors worked to stabilise him.
Once again, Byron fought his way back.
After two days, he returned to his “normal” self—normal, in this world, meaning stable, breathing, and holding on. He was moved back to special care, and Nikki learned a lesson familiar to many NICU parents: progress is rarely linear, but resilience often is.
Throughout it all, the pandemic cast a long shadow. Restrictions limited visitors. Support systems were strained. Nikki carried fear not only for Byron’s fragile lungs, but for the invisible dangers of infection in a world changed by COVID-19. Every cough, every monitor alarm, every hospital rule felt heavier under the weight of uncertainty.
After 128 long nights in hospital, Nikki and her family finally heard the words they had been waiting for.
They could take their little man home.
Byron’s journey, however, was not over. He was diagnosed with chronic lung disease, a condition common in extremely premature babies whose lungs are forced to grow up too fast. He came home on oxygen, his tiny body still needing extra support to do something most people take for granted—breathe.
Home looked different than Nikki had imagined during pregnancy. There were oxygen tubes, machines, and careful routines. But there was also something priceless: freedom from hospital walls, and the chance to watch Byron grow in the safety of his family’s arms.
Today, Nikki lives with gratitude woven tightly alongside vigilance. Byron’s chronic lung disease means ongoing care, monitoring, and patience. But it also means he survived. He is here. He fought through moments when goodbye felt inevitable and came out the other side.
Nikki’s journey is a powerful reminder of the quiet strength carried by parents of premature babies—especially during times of global uncertainty. It is a story of resilience born in isolation, of hope carried through fear, and of a tiny boy whose lungs learned to breathe in a world that felt impossibly heavy.
Byron’s story is not just about survival. It is about perseverance, faith, and the extraordinary courage found in the smallest hearts.
Thank you, Nikki, for sharing your journey—and for reminding us that even in the darkest moments, hope can still take a breath.
