When a diagnosis sounds like a sentence
October 2024. Agnieszka and Marek Maksajda from Brzezie near Sulechów hear the words that change their lives forever: Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Their son Antoni – Antek – is seven years old at the time. For some time, his parents have noticed worrying symptoms: the boy gets tired quickly, has trouble climbing stairs, stands up by pushing his hands against his own thighs, and cannot ride a bike like his peers.
Initially, doctors link these symptoms to a lymphatic malformation on his neck, which Antek has struggled with since birth. Until the diagnosis comes, changing the perspective from an "inconvenience" to a "catastrophe." DMD – one of the most severe genetic diseases affecting children. A disease that will not retreat, will not stop, will not let go. Unless someone helps it do so.
Today, Antek is nine years old. He still walks, although his gait is increasingly swaying. He still smiles, although every week he loses more muscle fibers that no one can rebuild. And that is exactly why one man from Zielona Góra decided to walk across all of Poland.
A disease that steals childhood
DMD is a rare genetic disease affecting mainly boys – statistically one in 3,500 to 5,000 births. Its cause is a mutation in the gene responsible for producing a protein called dystrophin, which protects muscle cells from damage during every contraction and relaxation. Without dystrophin, muscles are like a house without foundations: every movement destroys them, and the body cannot repair them.
The process is ruthless. First, the muscles around the hips and shoulders disappear – the child begins to stumble, cannot run, or climb stairs. Most boys with DMD lose the ability to walk independently around the age of twelve and are condemned to a wheelchair. Over the years, the disease attacks the respiratory muscles – the boy needs a ventilator. In parallel, DMD strikes the heart, leading to cardiomyopathy.
Just a few decades ago, boys with Duchenne dystrophy rarely lived to see their twentieth birthday. Thanks to medical progress, the average life expectancy has increased to 30–40 years. But DMD remains an incurable and fatal disease.
Antek is nine years old. The clock is ticking.
Gower's sign: a gesture that breaks your heart
There is one image that haunts the parents of children with DMD. "Gower's sign" – the child, wanting to get up from a lying or sitting position, "climbs" up their own body: they roll onto their stomach, get on all fours, and then use their hands to push off their thighs, step by step, as if climbing a ladder made of their own bones.
This gesture is often the first warning signal. For Antek's family, this moment came before the official diagnosis was even made. Now, every such moment has an additional weight – this is not a "phase" the child will outgrow. It is the progression of the disease, which one can only try to slow down. Or – if enough money can be raised – stop.
Why 16 million? The story of the world's most expensive drug
Gene therapy is the most modern approach to treating DMD. A harmless virus is introduced into the patient's body once, delivering a shortened but functional version of the dystrophin gene, called micro-dystrophin, to the muscle cells. The goal is to restore the production of the missing protein and stop the destruction of muscles.
The drug Elevidys, developed by Sarepta Therapeutics in collaboration with Roche, is one of the most promising gene therapies for DMD patients. The American FDA approved it, although the decision was not without controversy – key studies did not show an unequivocal improvement in motor function. In November 2025, the FDA added a high-level warning about the risk of acute liver injury.
In Europe, the European Medicines Agency issued a negative opinion in July 2025, not recommending the marketing authorization of Elevidys in the EU. This decision cut off patients in Poland from the path to funding the therapy within the public healthcare system. For Antek's family, this meant a double blow – previously their son was receiving the drug Translarna, but the EMA withdrew the recommendation for it as well.
Only one path remains: Dubai !!!
In the United Arab Emirates, gene therapy is available, but its cost is astronomical. The drug alone is about 15 million PLN. An additional million must cover the costs of a year of supplementary treatment after the therapy, flights, and the family's long-term stay in Dubai. Hence the total amount: 16 million PLN.
There is one more key element – time. Gene therapy is most effective when the patient is still able to walk independently. With each passing month, the therapeutic window closes. Antek is nine years old. Statistics say that most boys with DMD lose the ability to walk around the age of twelve. This means the family has at most two, maybe three years. Maybe less.
This is not a fundraiser for treatment. This is a race against time.
Marek Kmiotek – a man who decided to act
Marek Kmiotek is not a relative of Antek. He is not a doctor, a celebrity, or a politician. He is a 35-year-old resident of Zielona Góra – a man who heard about the illness of a nine-year-old boy from nearby Sulechów and could not remain indifferent to this story.
Born on November 22, 1991, in Szczecinek, a graduate of the University of Hotel and Catering in Poznań, he currently runs the "Bogaty Z Natury" (rich by nature) project (bogatyznatury.com) – an initiative combining health, physical activity, and contact with nature. On his social media profiles (@marek_kmiotek, @bogatyznatury), he gathers over 6,100 followers who follow his daily activities related to living in harmony with nature, mountain hiking, and physical activity. It was this passion and years of experience in long-distance hiking that gave him the strength and determination to take on this extraordinary challenge.
In an interview with Radio Zachód, Kmiotek said directly:
"I am an adult, healthy, I can walk. He is a child who is losing his muscles. I can do something about it, or I can do nothing. I chose."
And he chose something that most people would consider madness. Marek Kmiotek decided to walk from one end of Poland to the other – from Hel to Rysy. For 31 days. Over 900 kilometers. An average of 30 kilometers a day, with no days off. His closeness to nature and habit of daily physical activity proved invaluable in this grueling marathon.
The name of the campaign is simple and moving: "Walk for Life." Because that is exactly what is at stake – a child's life.
On his Facebook profile, Kmiotek has been documenting the preparations for the march for weeks. Every post, every video recording is saturated with authentic passion and determination. Kmiotek does not cast himself in the role of a hero. He speaks instead of "Antek's Team" – a growing community of people who get involved in the campaign in various ways. Some donate money. Others organize local events. Still others join him for short stretches of the route. Every gesture matters. Every kilometer brings the goal closer.
From Hel to Rysy: 31 days !!
4 stages, all of Poland
The route was not chosen by accident. Hel and Rysy – the two most recognizable points on the map of Poland, two geographical extremes. The sea and the mountains. The choice of these places is a metaphor for the journey Antek must overcome – from illness to health, from powerlessness to hope.
Stage I: The Coast and Pomerania – beginning of July
The march began on July 1, 2026, on the Hel Peninsula. Marek Kmiotek set off from the furthest tip of the peninsula to reach Gdańsk via Jastarnia, Władysławowo, and Gdynia. Then through Tczew, Malbork, and Kwidzyń. This is the stage where the march gains momentum – the first kilometers, the first pain in the feet, the first meetings with people who come out to shake his hand.
Stage II: Kuyavia and Masovia – mid-July
From Pomerania, the route leads through Grudziądz, Chełmno, Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Ciechocinek, Włocławek, Płock, and Sochaczew towards the capital. This is the most mentally difficult stage – a monotonous landscape, heat reaching over thirty degrees. Here, mental endurance is more important than physical.
Stage III: Central and Southern Poland – second half of July
Warsaw is the turning point. From here, the march turns south through Radom, Skarżysko-Kamienna, Kielce, Jędrzejów, and Miechów – getting closer to Lesser Poland, closer to the mountains. With each passing day, more people learn about the campaign. The snowball effect.
Stage IV: Lesser Poland and the finale in the Tatras – end of July
Kraków, Myślenice, Rabka-Zdrój, and finally – Zakopane. From here, only the last stretch remains: the trail through Morskie Oko to Rysy, the highest peak in Poland – 2,499 meters above sea level.
After thirty days of marching, after hundreds of kilometers in the heat, rain, and wind, Marek Kmiotek will stand at the summit – in a place from which the view is meant to be a symbol: that there is no road that cannot be overcome if you walk for the right reason.
Planned date of reaching Rysy: July 31, 2026.
Map of solidarity: how Poland is mobilizing around Antek
A whole network of grassroots initiatives has grown around the march. One of the most important events was the "Sports Marathon for Antek," organized on April 18, 2026, at Primary School No. 1 in Sulechów – fitness classes, strongman shows, auctions, concerts. Residents came in droves, proving that the fate of a nine-year-old boy touches hearts.
Local media – Radio Zachód, Newslubuski.pl, Gazeta Lubuska, TVP3 Gorzów Wielkopolski – regularly report on the fundraiser and the march. Every article, every broadcast is potentially hundreds of new donations.
Marek Kmiotek also organizes charity expeditions to the Tatras, to which he invites everyone interested. This is another element of building "Antek's Team" – a community that not only donates money but actively engages in helping.
On social media – primarily on Facebook – groups supporting the fundraiser are growing. Under the hashtags #SpacerPoŻycie, #DrużynaAntka, and #CałaPolskaDlaAntka, hundreds of posts are appearing. The internet is showing its best face.
DMD treatment in Poland: a systemic void
Antek's story is not just a personal drama of one family. It is an exposure of the truth about the treatment of rare diseases in Poland.
In the Polish system, the availability of DMD treatment is extremely limited. Only the drug Translarna is reimbursed – but it is intended only for a small group of patients (10–15% of those affected) with a nonsense mutation. For the remaining 85–90% of DMD patients in Poland, there is practically no reimbursed causal treatment.
Modern therapies remain out of systemic reach. The new-generation corticosteroid Agamree received a negative reimbursement recommendation due to high costs. Gene therapies are completely outside the spectrum of any reimbursement.
Standard treatment is primarily corticosteroids, which slow down the loss of muscle strength, but are associated with serious side effects. In addition, there is rehabilitation and cardiac and pulmonary care. All this saves lives, but it is not treatment. It is managing a disease that will win anyway.
For families like Antek's, the only real hope remains public fundraising and treatment abroad. This is a situation where the system says "we cannot help," and parents respond "so we will ask everyone else for help."
Antek: a child who doesn't know he is a hero
Antek Maksajda is nine years old. He lives with his parents in Brzezie near Sulechów. He is under the care of a multidisciplinary team of specialists. He has constant medical appointments, rehabilitation sessions, and regular check-ups.
But Antek is a child. And like every child, he wants to play, he wants to laugh, he wants to live normally. He does not fully understand why he cannot do what his friends do.
His parents are fighting a heroic battle on two fronts – medical and financial. On the fundraiser page on the Siepomaga.pl website, they described their son's story in simple but poignant words. In them is the raw truth about parents who know that time is working against their child.
As of the date of this article, over 400,000 PLN has been raised. This is a huge sum, but at the same time, it is only a few percent of the required amount. More than 15 million is still missing. An overwhelming sum, but one that, spread across millions of Poles, suddenly becomes achievable. Because 16 million PLN is five zlotys from just over three million people. Five zlotys – the price of a coffee.
Controversies around gene therapy: hope or risk?
Integrity requires saying it directly: gene therapy is not a solution free from controversy. And Antek's family knows this.
In the United States, the approval of Elevidys was met with criticism from part of the scientific community. The key study did not reach its primary endpoint – statistically, an unequivocal improvement in motor function was not proven. The FDA approved the drug anyway, arguing that the benefits outweigh the risks in the context of a disease for which there is no other treatment.
The European Medicines Agency refused to register the drug in the EU, considering the available evidence insufficient. But that does not mean the drug is ineffective – it only means that the European regulator did not grant a recommendation.
For Antek's parents, these scientific debates are abstract compared to their daily reality: their son is losing his muscles, and no alternative therapy is available. Gene therapy, despite its limitations, remains the only option that offers a chance. And when a child's life is at stake, even a chance is worth 16 million PLN.
How to support Antek? A practical guide
Anyone who wants to help Antek has several concrete options available:
1. Donation to the fundraiser on Siepomaga.pl
Official fundraiser: "Antek is terminally ill with DMD" – siepomaga.pl/antoni-maksajda. The platform ensures full transparency. Payments via bank transfer, payment card, and BLIK. Every amount matters.
Additionally, Marek Kmiotek is running a dedicated fundraiser related to his march: "Wander for Antek" – siepomaga.pl/wedrowka-dla-antka. All funds raised during the "Walk for Life" support the same fight for the nine-year-old boy's life.
2. Following and sharing the march on social media
Marek Kmiotek documents every day of the march on his Facebook profile. Every share increases the reach. Hashtags: #SpacerPoŻycie, #DrużynaAntka, #CałaPolskaDlaAntka.
3. Joining the march on a selected segment
Marek invites people to join on any segment. A detailed schedule is updated on his profile. Even a few kilometers is an expression of solidarity.
4. Organizing local supporting events
Residents can organize local fundraisers, auctions, charity concerts. The example of Sulechów shows that such initiatives mobilize entire communities.
5. Participating in charity auctions
Auctions are held in dedicated Facebook groups, with proceeds going to the fundraiser.
Dystrophin: the protein whose absence costs 16 million
There is a bitter irony in this story. Dystrophin – the protein whose absence triggers a whole cascade of destruction – is just one of tens of thousands of proteins produced by the human body. One protein, one faulty gene, one letter in the genetic code that should be different.
Science can already identify the problem with precision. It can design a shortened version of a gene, "package" it into a viral carrier, and deliver it to billions of cells. This is a triumph of human intellect – one of the greatest achievements of 21st-century medicine.
But the price of this triumph is 16 million PLN. And it must be paid by ordinary people who will throw as much as they can into the virtual collection box.
The DMD gene is the largest known gene in the human genome – it has over 2 million base pairs. Its size makes it particularly susceptible to mutations, and at the same time extremely difficult to "repair." The research process cost billions of dollars and decades of work. And these costs are now being shifted onto patients.
In an ideal world, gene therapy would be available to every child with DMD – for free, without fundraisers, without marches. In the real world, Marek Kmiotek is walking from Hel to Rysy because a nine-year-old boy has no other choice.
31 days that could change everything
As you read these words, Marek Kmiotek is somewhere on the road. Maybe he is crossing a province border. Maybe he is walking through a small town where people come out of their homes to greet him. Maybe he is struggling with the heat on a straight road. Or maybe he is already closer to the mountains.
One thing is certain: every step he takes is a step towards a chance for Antek. Every kilometer is a signal sent to millions of Poles: "Do not look away. This boy needs you."
The story of the "Walk for Life" is a story about the strength of one man who decided he would do something – anything – instead of helplessly watching a child suffer. But it is also a story about the power of community. Because Marek Kmiotek will not raise 16 million alone. It is us – the readers, internet users, residents of Polish cities – who are the ones in whose hands Antek's future lies.
Antek is nine years old. He still walks. He still smiles. But the clock is ticking.
And it only depends on us whether we manage to stop it.
How to help? Key information in brief
Fundraiser: siepomaga.pl/antoni-maksajda
Goal: 16,000,000 PLN for gene therapy in Dubai
Beneficiary: Antoni "Antek" Maksajda, 9 years old, Brzezie near Sulechów
Disease: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
Campaign: "Walk for Life" – march Hel → Rysy (July 1–31, 2026)
March initiator: Marek Kmiotek, Zielona Góra
Hashtags: #SpacerPoŻycie #DrużynaAntka #CałaPolskaDlaAntka
Campaign profile: facebook.com/marek.kmiotek
The article was created based on information from public sources: the Siepomaga.pl website, Radio Zachód broadcasts, the Newslubuski.pl portal, TVP3 Gorzów Wielkopolski, Marek Kmiotek's Facebook profile, and specialized medical sources regarding Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The editorial team of wiadomości.Pro appeals to readers to support the fundraiser for Antek.
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