Pawełek learned that he had bone cancer—a malignant bone tumor—at the beginning of 2018. The day his family heard the diagnosis stayed with them forever. Their beloved son and brother had cancer. Pawełek is being treated at Przylądek Nadziei hospital. It is the Jan Mikulicz-Radecki University Clinical Hospital in Wrocław.
The pilgrimage to the Holy Father, undertaken in December that year by the children from Przylądek Nadziei, was an exceptional spiritual journey, full of emotion and truly great hope for the children’s lives and health.
“Pawełek currently feels well,” says Beta, the boy’s mother. “But it only takes a moment for his blood counts to fall, and he may once again need a blood or platelet transfusion, something my son has already gone through more than once. But we made the decision to travel to the Vatican without hesitation. We eagerly awaited the day of departure, preparing everything necessary. And, of course, we lived in hope that his blood results would be good enough for him to take part in the pilgrimage,” his mother recounts.
As they entered the Vatican, they felt special, and they find it difficult to describe the meeting with Pope Francis.
“What the pope said to the children and to us—the parents—was so encouraging,” says their mother. “He told us that there is no problem we could not overcome, because each of us has a guardian angel who has been with us since the moment of our birth. The blessing of the Holy Father, which he bestowed on my son, was the best thing that could have happened to us. It filled us with hope, faith and the strength to continue the fight. We will always remember the Mass celebrated at the tomb of John Paul II. Pawełek remembers his stay in the Vatican and the trip to Rome itself fondly and as something special; we were able to do some sightseeing, too. We are grateful that we could be there,” says his moved mother.
The trip from Przylądek Nadziei to the Vatican was organized for the fifth time. Patients from Przylądek were received by John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis. This year’s visit was made possible with the help of attorney Krzysztof Bramorski, Honorary Consul of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Wrocław.