Kryštůfek had a clear diagnosis: DIPG. A brain tumor. In the brainstem. 100% mortality rate.
We thought long and hard about the story of Tereza and her son Kryštůfek because it left us with deep feelings of admiration and emotion. When Oleg first heard about it from Tereza over a cup of coffee, he decided that a story like this needed to be shared.
Because it’s the story of a very brave little boy and two parents who went through hell together but came out the other side. Kryštůfek was only four when half his body became paralyzed. Then came the diagnosis, radiation therapy, a brief improvement, and a rapid decline.
His mom, Tereza, and his dad, Dan, stood by his side the whole time and held his little hand right up until the very last moment, before he drove off in a black Hyundai van—a vehicle he would never have gotten into on his own, as Dan joked in that tense moment, because he didn’t like that brand. After all those tear-filled nights, what else was left for them but a little humor?
A story like theirs can actually help—both Tereza and those of you who are going through a similar situation, or someone close to you. Or it might just make you stop and think about whether that argument with your husband over the unwashed dishes was really that bad.
Can a relationship be “fixed” by the death of a child?
How do you talk to a child about their own death?
And will banning crying help?
With powerful stories like this one, it’s hard to give advice on what to do and what not to do. And we don’t really want to do that anyway. We feel that we’re merely intermediaries through whom Tereza can share everything she’s been through—and yet managed to overcome—so that her story might reach those who need to hear it.
It was truly an honor that Tereza accepted our invitation to appear on our podcast and talk about all these topics. She spoke frankly, without mincing words. And you can listen to it on our Spotify.