A last-gasp attempt to save a baby suffering from a rare cancer has seen his uncle complete a 5km run while completely blindfolded.
Maciej Krause ran from Wroughton to Barbury Castle in a bid to help his nephew, 10-month-old Stasiek, fight a rare form of cancer that affects both his eyes.
His family need to raise £200,000 to fund vital treatment in the US.
Stasiek, who lives in Poland, was diagnosed in December and started receiving various treatments to treat the cancer, including two types of chemotherapy, eye laser treatments and a blood transfusion.
Maciej completing the blindfolded run
But they have done nothing to stop the tumours on his eyes so now his parents, Sylwia and Piotr, hope to travel to New York to visit a specialist at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre after being given a slot on November 17.
But if the family are not able to go, or the treatment does not work Stasiek faces the possibility of permanent blindness through having to have his eyes removed. The cancer could prove fatal.
That’s why 41-year-old Maciej, of Old Town, decided to contribute towards the fundraising for Stasiek’s treatment.
“I wanted to save Stas from the abysmal darkness and save his life,” Maciej said.
“ I want raise awareness of Stas’s situation and the challenges that blind people face every day, but also I just want to save him.”
Maciej completed the run with three friends and his wife Magdalena acting as his guides.
“I felt confused a lot to begin with, because It was weird not being able to see.
"It was confusing at the end because of the glare from the sun after being in darkness for so long.
Baby Stasiek
“But I did it with the help of my friends JJ Reeves, Phil Clark and Steve Mainwaring. Without these wonderful people I wouldn’t be able to walk even a few yards, let alone run this route.
"They held my hand, guided me, saved me from tripping over or going the wrong direction.”
So far Maciej has raised £2,210 towards his nephew's treatment, which will join the £80,879.64 other members of his family and friends have managed to raise from around the world. But that still leaves nearly £120,000 to pay for the full treatment.
“I’m a father of two, and I’m trying to put myself in their shoes and what they’re going through and what Stasiek is going through," said Maciej.
If you would like to contribute, click here.
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