Oskar didn’t have an easy start in grade 3. He started feeling nauseous in the mornings and experienced other symptoms. Oskar’s mother, Marta, had a bad feeling. ‘Could it be cancer?’ she thought. The worst scenario became reality. Oskar was diagnosed with medulloblastoma at 6 years old: a tumor in his brain. His parents share how things are going now.
Always active and happy
Marta explains: ‘We’re from Krakow, a city in Poland. We’ve lived in The Hague since 2011. That’s where Oskar was born. We feel at home here. Oskar is an active child. He loves playing football, basketball, judo, and playing outside. But at some point, he became weaker and started withdrawing from activities.
At first, we didn’t worry too much. Oskar was the only one in his class to move on to grade 3, which meant he joined a new class without his best friends. That can be stressful for any child. 'It must be nerves,' we thought. But it got worse. The family doctor ran some tests, noticed that Oskar was struggling with his balance, and immediately raised the alarm.’ After an MRI scan, they received life-changing news: Oskar had a brain tumor.
Right after the diagnosis
‘It felt like the ground was pulled out from under us,’ says Jarek. ‘We had to act fast because the tumor needed to be removed quickly. We rushed to the Princess Máxima Center, where the surgeon was already waiting for us. Thankfully, 99% of the tumor was removed during the operation. That gave us hope, but we also knew a long treatment journey lay ahead.’ Oskar underwent chemotherapy and radiation. It was a tough year, with many hospital stays due to infections. Despite the challenges, Oskar stayed strong and positive. Jarek shares, ‘Whenever he felt a little better, he wanted to go back to school. Oskar missed his friends and just wanted to be a normal kid.’
A brief recovery
In September 2023, after months of treatment, the moment finally came that Oskar and his family had been waiting for: he rang the bell, signaling the end of his treatment. Marta says: ‘That was a moment of pure joy. We could start rebuilding our normal lives.’ Unfortunately, this didn’t last long. Eight months later, Oskar received bad news. A check-up revealed that the tumor had returned, in several places in his brain. Marta says: ‘It felt like the ground was pulled out from under our feet again.’
Living one day at a time
How is Oskar doing now? Oskar and his parents remain hopeful and positive. He recently started a new treatment protocol and is fortunately responding well. Jarek says: ‘We enjoy the little moments. Oskar loves blowing bubbles and riding his bike at the Máxima Center, or baking muffins to share with the other children.’ Because of his port-a-cath, Oskar can’t do judo at the moment. But that’s not a problem, because he has discovered a new sport: fencing! This is so typical of Oskar: despite everything he is going through, he always focuses on what he can do.
‘Oskar wants to make a difference for other children because he knows how hard it can be', says Marta. That’s why he is now a volunteer for a foundation that raises money for children with cancer in Poland. We are so proud of him!’
Oskar is a huge inspiration to his parents, a source of strength. Jarek says: ‘I watched a documentary with Oskar about a man in America who lost everything in a hurricane. The man said: 'All I can do is keep going and not give up.' Oskar looked at me and said: 'That’s what I do too, dad. At the Princess Máxima Center, you never give up.'
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