OnkoRejs was created to bring hope to everyone facing illness.
To show that cancer is not a sentence, and that each of us should dream – and make those dreams come true.
It doesn’t matter what you look like, where you live, or what you do — illness can affect you too. That’s why we ask you… Get screened!
In most cases, cancer is treatable.
We also want to show everyone — both those who are ill and those who are healthy — that it is worth enjoying every single minute of life, and that precious time should not be wasted on negative thoughts.
Love Life and smile at the people around you! 🙂
So far, thirteen OnkoRejs voyages have taken place
(5 on the Baltic Sea aboard Zjawa IV and Zawisza Czarny, and 8 on the Fryderyk Chopin — 6 on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and 2 on the North Sea), with nearly 700 oncology patients taking part.
We have also organised eight nationwide marches under the name OnkoRejs – Borders of Poland, in which around 1,000 people have participated, covering a total of more than 150,000 kilometres.
Sailing and taking part in a week-long voyage is very similar to the process of undergoing cancer treatment. Just as when a patient learns they have a tumour, stepping onto a yacht for the first time — or taking the first step on a 100-kilometre route — brings uncertainty. They do not know how their body will react. They do not know whether fear will paralyse them, or whether seasickness will strike.
The only thing they know is that they cannot give up.
Even in a storm, heavy rain, piercing cold, or overwhelming exhaustion — just like during the most difficult rounds of chemotherapy — they cannot let go. They must keep fighting.
After completing an OnkoRejs voyage, with full awareness of what they have gone through, a person living with cancer gains a powerful sense that they can handle anything. This feeling of inner strength is incredibly important for people with disabilities. It helps them integrate more easily into society and cope with life’s challenges.
Dreams make it possible not to think about cancer.
When you’re waiting for new adventures and planning your journeys, even the next round of chemotherapy becomes less frightening. You’re not as afraid of a recurrence. You take action to make your dreams come true. You don’t have time to torment yourself with thoughts about the illness — after all, there is so much to organise.
Instead of wondering how much time you have left, hope and the joy of life begin to appear.
You are still afraid, but you already know that the most important thing is to make the absolute most of the time you have.
If you would like to help us keep believing in our dreams, you can:
♥ Make a donation via PayPal
(online donation button below)
Registered before? Log in to use your saved details.
If you registered an account, please enter your details below to login. If this is your first time, proceed to the donation form.
♥ Start a fundraiser on Facebook
and invite your friends to support our mission:
fb.com/fund/OnkoRejs
♥ Send a bank transfer
Fundacja OnkoRejs – Wybieram Życie
IBAN: PL27 1750 0012 0000 0000 3227 5494
SWIFT/BIC: PPABPLPKXXX
♥ Donate sailing gear or equipment
Your support helps us prepare our crews for future voyages.
♥ Help us organise the “OnkoRejs – Borders of Poland” march
— a nationwide event for oncology patients and their supporters.
♥ Donate 1.5% of your income tax
(available only for individuals and businesses filing taxes in Poland)
KRS: 0000597569
The number of people diagnosed with cancer in Poland continues to rise.
There is hardly anyone who has not met someone who has gone through oncological treatment. Thanks to advances in medicine, fewer and fewer cases end in death.
However, society still often treats cancer as a terminal illness. People living with cancer are not always seen as full and active members of society. They are frequently perceived as individuals suffering in the privacy of their bedroom or hospital room, simply waiting to die.
Showing that people who have overcome cancer can enjoy life, dream, and make those dreams come true helps break the myth that cancer is always fatal.
It is equally important to make people aware that cancer can affect anyone: women and men, the young and the elderly, the beautiful and the not-so-beautiful, the wealthy and the poor, people from cities and villages alike.
That is why screening and preventive examinations are so important — they are often the only way to detect the disease early and make full recovery possible.
The ambassador of OnkoRejs, who wholeheartedly supports all of our initiatives, is actress Jola Mrotek.
As a healthy participant, she shared with us every challenge of the voyage aboard Zawisza Czarny, wanting to show how important it is not to divide people into “healthy” and “ill,” or “able-bodied” and “disabled.” Her message is clear: we should face adversity together and support one another.
Jola also underwent a full series of preventive medical tests to demonstrate that they are not frightening — and that they are truly worth doing.
She created the “Buy a Test as a Gift” campaign, encouraging people to give their loved ones presents that carry real value and can even save lives.
Write to us at: onkorejs@wp.pl