Danuta Stenka asks for help funding CAR-T therapy for her husband, who has multiple myeloma

In brief

• Danuta Stenka publicly appealed for donations to fund CAR-T therapy for her husband, Janusz Grzelak, who has multiple myeloma.
• The therapy costs nearly 2 million zloty and is not reimbursed in Poland.
• The fundraiser reportedly passed its target by Wednesday.

Husband's diagnosis

Actress Danuta Stenka said in a video posted online that her husband, Janusz Grzelak, has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells in the bone marrow (Polacy mają wielkie serca. Taką kwotę na leczenie męża Danuty Stenki zebrano. "Wciąż nam trudno uwierzyć..." – Dziennik.pl) (Janusz Grzelak choruje na szpiczaka mnogiego. Jakie były pierwsze objawy>? - Zdrowie w INTERIA.PL – interia.pl). She described the illness as aggressive and said the window for starting costly treatment is narrow („Terapia, która może uratować mu życie, jest nierefundowana”. Dramat męża Danuty Stenki ujawnia problem terapii CAR-T - wiadomości Medycyna i Zdrowie – politykazdrowotna.com) (Dramatyczny apel Danuty Stenki. Chodzi o męża aktorki. To poważna sprawa. Chodzi o duże pieniądze | Express Ilustrowany – expressilustrowany.pl).

According to her account, Grzelak began complaining of pain along his spine in mid-September. The pain did not ease with physiotherapy or massage. Later he developed abdominal pain, and scans showed several tumours, one near the spine and another on the right side of the abdomen. Doctors first suspected lymphoma before more detailed tests confirmed myeloma (Mąż Danuty Stenki ciężko chory. Niesamowite, co udało się zrobić w dwa dni | Strona Zdrowia – stronazdrowia.pl).

Treatment and cost

The therapy her husband may need is CAR-T, in which a patient's own immune cells are modified in the laboratory to attack cancer cells. Reports put the cost at nearly 2 million zloty. The treatment is not reimbursed in Poland, although international medical societies include it in their recommendations.

Stenka said her husband's condition has affected his kidneys and spine, according to her statements in the appeal. Stenka said the family could not manage the cost alone and asked the public for help (Mąż Danuty Stenki zmaga się z rakiem. Aktorka apeluje o pomoc finansową – Dziennik.pl).

Fundraiser

The donation campaign grew quickly after the appeal. By Wednesday, the amount raised had exceeded its goal, Stenka said in a later post, thanking donors. Some online commenters responded with hostile remarks, and the case has drawn attention to wider questions about access to CAR-T in Poland.

The case has also prompted discussion of how such therapies are funded. Ministry of Health officials have discussed rules under which drug companies might co-finance treatment, though details of that proposal are still under review.