By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
THERE’S one chance of treatment for Endeavour Hills nine-year-old Piotrus, and it needs to happen quickly.
The options to treat his brain tumour have run out at Australian hospitals. All that’s left is a little known cutting-edge light treatment only offered in China.
But as Piotrus’s mother Jola Styczen said she would be filled with regret if she does nothing to save her son’s life.
Fortunately, Piotrus is a fighter.
With thick polygon-shaped stitching in his skull from his latest bout of surgery, he refuses to skip juniors training at White Star Dandenong Soccer Club.
And the club is backing its player to the hilt, hosting an entertaining picnic fundraiser on 16 April to help cover the exorbitant costs of travel, accommodation and treatment.
By coincidence, the event – full of sizzling Polish foods and sausages, singers, a raffle offering signed Socceroos tops, and Melbourne Victory-run activities – falls on Piotrus’s birthday.
Ms Styczen, who has been frantically scanning the world for a solution, said she was amazed how the club rallied behind her family.
“We didn’t ask for this,” she said.
“The club just rang me and said they were going to do this for Piotrus.”
Piotrus’s father Rafal and uncle Irek have been long-term White Star players and prominent supporters and Irek is a former coach.
Club vice-president Robert Drozdz said the 120-member club had never rallied behind a player in such a way, but it summed up its ethos as “the community club” in Dandenong.
Mr Drozdz took a day off work recently to make a concerted drive for sponsors for the day.
“We consider all of our participants as family.
“We want to raise funds so Piotrus can live life like any other kid.”
Ms Styczen said her boy just doesn’t want any more surgery on top of an intense radiation and chemotherapy program to first eradicate the cancer in 2010.
She said the radiation treatment may have inadvertently triggered further tumours, due to Piotrus’s initially undetected genetic mutation.
Given Piotrus has a mutation of the P53 tumour suppressor, the new photodynamic therapy – “a bath of light” – in China was the only option, she said.
Vacancies for the treatment open in mid-April. It’s now just a matter of raising the necessary money.
The fundraiser Picnic for Piotrus is at Greaves Reserve, 17 Bennet Street, Dandenong, on 16 April from 1pm.
Donations can be made to bank account name Piotrus Fundraiser, BSB: 033380, account number: 499755.
More details from Robert Drozdz on 0421 096 238 and Adam Kawa on 0422 647 557.
