Father and son battling cancer thanks Kells community for its support
ANN CASEY
A KELLS father and son, who are both battling cancer have been overwhelmed by the way friends and neighbours have rallied round to help.
"People have been so supportive," says 25 year-old Mateusz Rataj, who is starting chemotherapy this week.
The world was turned upside down for the Rataj family last January when Mateusz's father, Jacek was diagnosed with cancer.
It was a terribly frightening time for the family and very stressful, but there was good news too, when Mateusz and his partner, Megan had a baby boy two months ago.
However, the family were devastated again three weeks ago when Mateusz got word that he too had cancer.
Mateusz and Megan live with Jacek and his wife, Joanna in Kells. It was a busy household with Jacek's treatment and the new baby, so Mateusz wasn't overly concerned about feeling very tired.
"I went to my GP with a chest infection and he sent me to hospital in Navan. They told me there that it looked like cancer and I was sent by ambulance to the Mater."
In the Mater Hospital, Mateusz, got the devastating news he had testicular cancer which had spread to his lymph nodes and lungs.
It was a dreadful blow for the family that have lived in Kells for the past 18 years.
"It was so frightening," Mateusz says.
"It happened so suddenly, but people have been very supportive and so helpful," he says.
With both Jacek and Mateusz at home and undergoing treatment, the family is under severe financial pressure, but friends have rallied round to raise funds and set up Gofundme pages to raise funds to help the family who face substantial expenses as they battle the disease.
They also organised a very well attended Tractor and Truck Run which took place on Sunday.
Until his recent diagnosis, Mateusz had helped out his parents financially as well as looking after his partner and his newborn baby boy.
"We are so grateful to everyone. It is a very difficult time. I have been working full-time since I was 18 and my Dad always worked, but we are both out of work now. I attend the Mater Hospital and my father has to go to the Beaumont and we have the added expense of travel and parking."
Mateusz started chemotherapy on Monday and will have to travel to the hospital every day for five days, every three weeks.
His dad started chemotherapy in July and has the treatment once every three weeks.
When he is finished his chemotherapy, Mateusz will be having surgery.
Jacek moved to Kells 18 years ago. He is a father of four kids, two grown up and two little ones, as well as being a new grandfather.
Last January doctors found a tumour in his lungs with metastasis to his liver.
In March, he received immunotherapy but had a lot of side effects including pneumonia and huge clots all over his body. In the last eight weeks he had to go to hospital seven times.
The tumours continued to grow with the immunotherapy so he has now started chemotherapy.
Jacek isn't ready to give up this battle. He is doing absolutely everything that he can to fight it, which means visiting private doctors, getting hydro treatments and taking nutri-drinks to help with the effects of chemotherapy.
Emma Smith who was among the organisers of Sundays Truck Run said; "The last thing that they should be doing now is worrying about money.
"Not being able to work, the expense of travelling to hospitals in Dublin, parking, taking special diets to help while having chemo is putting a huge financial strain on the family, who are already terribly stressed and worried.
"We have set up fundraising pages for Mateusz and Jacek," she said.