The story of Denisa

"Then all I remember is the stiffness, the cramp, the twisted mouth, the darkness, and how I was falling somewhere.", Denisa will never forget the day when her body started to sound loud. It was the 11th of March when her life turned upside down again. After a seizure in a café, she was taken to the University Hospital Brno and there her story began to take shape. She underwent all possible examinations including an MRI, and awaited the verdict. "Miss, can you please come with us? We already know what your health problem is and unfortunately, we have to tell you that the magnet showed a large tumor in the left part of your brain tissue.,, .... You don't count on such news when you are young and have your life ahead of you. This may all seem like a nightmare, but unfortunately, you can't wake up from this one. Denisa went through many unpleasant situations during her hospital stay related to the side effects of the medication, but D-day came and so did her first surgery. Eugen, as she calls his uninvited guest in his head, had to get out and that was priority number 1 for everyone. The surgery went well and even though they couldn't remove 100% of the tumor, everything was on track. The tumor had probably been growing in her head for quite some time and had grown to a size of 8x4 cm, which isn't exactly small. Fortunately, the histology results showed that it was a benign tumour, which was great news, but Denisa had to be wary as even findings like this can start to go bad over time, which unfortunately proved to be a harsh reality over time.

,,It's never so bad that it can't be worse,, .... Unfortunately, this was not the last operation Denisa underwent. She went into everything with a lot of determination and even though there were worse days, she made it through. All these experiences changed her a little bit, she looked at the world differently, she wanted to start living for real, not to survive, and to get better with great determination. But she knew that relying on conventional treatment alone was not the way to go. She started again and differently, and diet played a big role in her life. It became a big part of her life. As we all probably suspect, Denisa knew that a healthy lifestyle was the right way to health, and she started to move in this direction very intensively.... and it bore fruit for many years.... Eugen slept and Denisa could devote herself fully to what made her happy. She started her blog Food Therapy by Denisa, where she shared not only her story to continue, but also healthy recipes... her blog became very popular not only among cancer patients but also among the general public, whose eyes she opened thanks to her sharing and showed the real reality thanks to her openness. She has been and continues to be a great support to those who have had a serious illness come into their lives and has helped many patients through difficult days. In 2019, she published her book How to Survive It All and Not Go Crazy, which is based on her personal experience with Eugene and reveals her life story. Denisa also became one of the contestants of the cooking show MasterChef, where she showed great determination and the possibilities of doing things differently. Love entered her life, she got married and she and her husband Roman decided to start a family, both believing that a long time had passed and that they had managed to overcome the disease for good. Until this January, they were doing well and enjoying life with their beautiful daughter Izabela as much as they could with the mindset that you never know which day is your last...

Unfortunately, it all ended not long after the beginning of 2023, when Eugen started to hark back... Denisa and Roman didn't hesitate and visited oncology and soon they had an MRI, which revealed what they feared the most. Yes, unfortunately, the tumor had really woken up and started to grow rapidly. Then it went like clockwork and Denisa underwent a very difficult operation on the tumour. Luckily the surgery was successful and over 99% of the tumor was removed. Which is really great news. This was followed by a wait of about 10 days for histology, which was accompanied by complications with speaking associated with swelling of the head, but fortunately, this improved with time as well. Waiting for the results of the histology was difficult, they counted on everything and Denisa was prepared for the fact that Eugen could go very crazy.... however, when the results were confirmed even the darkest ideas, it was a shock. Unfortunately, this is the most aggressive form of Glioblastoma tumor, which has a low % survival of more than 1 year with standard treatment. Denisa is a fighter and doesn't give up on anything, as is her habit. This is where Denisa's story ends, but the next story and the big fight begin. Not only for herself, but especially for their little love Izabella, Denisa will do everything in her power. Now they are looking for the most appropriate treatment path, including a supportive one that can ensure our beautiful Hero's continued life alongside those she loves.

There is currently a fundraiser on Donio for further treatment, which unfortunately is not covered by insurance, which you can also support.

"Live and do what you enjoy. Life is a gift we unwrap,
and we're supposed to enjoy it and live it before the curtain falls and your derriere arrives,
(Denisa Zajícová Cziglová)

All of us at the Fuck Cancer Project have our fingers crossed for Denisa and will help in any way we can.

#fuckcancer