Father of six’s dreams ‘crumbled’ after being diagnosed with stage four cancer

A Polish man living in Ireland was diagnosed with stage four cancer just before he started a new life with his wife and four children.

Janusz Kuc has lived in Donegal, Ireland for “many years” and in 2017 returned to his native country where he married Sylwia.

The couple have four children, with Janusz also having two children from his previous marriage.

Still feeling like Ireland was “his home”, he decided to return in 2023, where he took up employment with a long-time friend and “started building a new life”.

In the spring, Janusz managed to find a house for his family to live in, and Sylwia emigrated to Ireland with her children, “excited by the prospect of a new life.”

Sharing their story on GoFundMe, Sylwia told how their dreams “were shattered” when Janusz was diagnosed with stage four cancer.

“He is now receiving full-time care at Letterkenny University Hospital,” she added. “He will naturally no longer be working to support his family, and Sylwia will not need to either, due to frequent hospital visits and looking after the children, who are aged between two and 12.”

Returning to Poland was out of the question due to Janusz’s serious illness, and Sylwia could not bear the thought of leaving her husband.

Sylwia and her children live in a “mostly unfurnished house, not knowing what the next day will bring.”

Janusz and Sylwia are currently appealing for financial help in the face of the “brutal reality of having to go grocery shopping and pay bills every week just to survive another day.”

Sylwia said: “Janusz worked hard all his life, serving both the Polish diaspora and the wider Donegal community. His dream was to build a happy new life as a father and husband here and it is heartbreaking to see what was starting to become a reality taken away by such a cruel twist of fate.

She added that she knows that “no matter what happens,” she will simply move on with her life and “as much as I wish it wasn’t necessary, I ask that you help them get through this painful time with dignity.”

For more information or to support Janusz and Sylwia in their fight against cancer, click here.