Poles in Israel fundraise to save Polish cancer patient

Oskar Padok's only chance of surviving the disease is an innovative and expensive gene therapy, called Car-T-Cell, which is available in Israel, Polish Radio's IAR news agency reported.

Padok is in a hospital in Tel Aviv, but PLN 500,000 (USD 135,000, EUR 116,000) is still needed to cover the cost of the therapy.

Padok arrived in Tel Aviv with his family in June after finding out that the hospital there was his only hope. His mother appealed on Facebook for help in preparing meals for him, because she was unable to understand the labels on the packaging in Israeli stores.

Polish woman Beata Younger, who lives in Israel, saw the appeal.

“I went to the hospital with a group of my Polish friends and we saw a guy whose body was destroyed after a nearly four-year fight with cancer but we noticed his eyes, which had an appetite for life,” Younger told Polish Radio.

The Poles in Israel are campaigning through the Się Pomaga charity's website. They need PLN 500,000 by the end of the month.

Money raised so far has been spent to cover the cost of his hospital stay and drugs that were needed to keep him alive long enough to get the Car-T-Cell therapy.

They are also financially supporting his family, helping with transport, food, legal aid and mental health care. (vb/pk)

Source: IAR