Our redaction met with Ewa Błaszczyk, actress, singer, and the co-founder of the “Akogo?” Foundation to discuss her mission for waking up patients in the comma inspired by the story of her daughter. After discovering a gap in the Polish healthcare system, Ewa Błaszczyk contributed to creating a systematic solution by helping to establish the first model clinic in Poland for children in coma together with NHS (NFZ). 

Over two decades ago, the six-year-old daughter of Ewa Błaszczyk, Ola, choked on a pill leading to a halt in blood circulation, after which she was brought back to life and fell into a permanent coma. 

After being told that the current state of the healthcare system is not sufficient to help her daughter, Ewa set up the “Akogo?” foundation. Its aim is to provide systematic care to people in coma and work together with global experts to improve treatment methods. 

„There was a gap in the system. There were no medical treatments for such an illness. A person in a coma was dumped at home or in a hospice, where they died of the first medical complication. What was needed was not to deny such a person their chance.” (Ewa Błaszczyk, 2022)

Ewa Błaszczyk’s foundation achieved incredible results. One of the most notable achievements was the establishment of the “Alarm Clock” clinic aimed at waking up children and teenagers from a comma. 

Managing Director of the “Alarm Clock”, Dr Maciej Piróg, showed us around to provide insights into the working of the clinic. He explains that over 200 children visited the clinic over eight years with an awakening rate of nearly 50%.

„Since the clinic has been in operation, you can identify a spike in awareness of what a coma is. Awareness before the clinic was much lower, even relatively low in the medical community. It was only when the clinic started operating and had its first successes that they changed their minds.” (Dr Maciej Piróg, 2022)

Thanks to offered funding and know-how, together with the Ministry of Health, the foundation created a WHO-awarded state-of-the-art programme for waking up children in a coma.

The clinic for children was followed by the opening of Poland’s first “Alarm clock” ward for adults in Olsztyn.

An insight into the “Alarm clock” clinic

The “Alarm Clock” clinic, currently one of the most modern clinics in Poland, was established in 2013. The building is conjoined to the Children’s Health Centre through a passage so that the best medical staff and equipment can be at hand.

„This is a project created by a mother who, while caring for her daughter, knew what she was missing the most. In this place that she created, she wanted to put everything that she was missing as a caregiver and mother of a patient and have full medical security.” (Dr Maciej Piróg, 2022)

„The whole family’s life changes. Everyone is sick in some sense. You are stuck in limbo.” (Ewa Błaszczyk, 2022)

The clinic has 15 beds and extensive treatment infrastructure, including rehabilitation, logopaedics, and hydrotherapeutic rooms, as well as expert staff, ranging from physiotherapists to neuro-speech therapists. 

When admitted to the clinic, the children first stay on the group floor, where they are constantly monitored. As their condition gets better, they move to the higher floors. The rooms are decorated with items important to the children, such as toys or posters, to stimulate their response.

What distinguishes the clinic on a global scale is that parents can stay with the children for free at all times and are active participants in the therapy.

Exciting new plans for the “Akogo?” Foundation

According to Ewa Błaszczyk, the foundation is moving forward and will focus on new developments in diagnosis and treatment. She mentions that “it’s a race against time to keep the current patients in good enough shape to take advantage of new scientific developments”. 

„The scientific research area will now absorb us. Our new goal is to focus on scientific research activities, or in other words, what to bring from the world to the patient. A lot is going on in global laboratories regarding the brain and the central nervous system. We need to track those developments and communicate with the experts.” (Ewa Błaszczyk, 2022)

Ewa Błaszczyk explains that she hopes to open a new clinic for adults in the autumn. The plans for opening the clinic earlier this year were delayed due to the Covid19 pandemic. 

Privately, Ms Błaszczyk is currently in six acting projects, without which she says she would go crazy. She also reads books about other dimensions, the soul and neuroscience.

Information on how to support the foundation can be found on the “Akogo?” website. The website provides updates on scientific projects and the construction of the adult clinic in Warsaw. Additionally, a series of special events will be organised in autumn ahead of the opening of the new clinic. You can follow the updates on the website.

Author: Marta Kąkol 

Marta has recently graduated from Utrecht University, obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Thanks to her interdisciplinary education, she can apply multiple perspectives to complex political issues. She vocalizes her interest in public affairs in a multitude of ways, from journalistic writing to organising speaker events. She hopes to gain funding for her Master’s in Politics Research at the University of Oxford in 2022.

Main picture: Akogo? Foundation/Marta Kakol