Agata Mroz, a famed Polish volleyball champion, died one month ago today at the age of 26.
The daughter of basketball and volleyball coaches, Agata became a superstar in her home country when she led the Polish national volleyball team to European championships in 2003 and 2005. When she wasn’t competing in international competition, she was leading her Polish-league team to championships in 2003, 2004, and 2006, and guiding a Spanish-based team to victory in 2007. Once nicknamed the “great wall of China” for her excellence as a blocker, she had a knack for turning what seemed to be opponents’ advantages into points for her side.
Her fame was magnified by her beauty, which helped to make the stunning six-foot-three-inch slender blonde a regular fixture in newspapers, magazines, and on television. She was one of the principal reasons why the Polish women’s volleyball team ended up being dubbed the “Golden Girls,” a testimony not only to their fair hair and multiple gold medals in international competition, but to their marketing draw.
She was a very popular player among her teammates. One of them, Dorota Świeniewicz, said about her constant cheerfulness. “It was incredible seeing the joy she had with each point she won, her hands up in the air; this gesture was typical of Agata after a successful serve, block, or attack and it will stick in my mind forever.”
She also had a positive, mature influence on her coaches. Coach Andrzej Niemczyk recalled, “She was a wonderful, smiling, and honest girl. During one of the camps in Szczyrk, I sat up late in a bar with a glass of whisky. It was way past midnight when I heard someone entering the bar. Agata sat next to me, took my arm, and said, ‘Coach, you need some sleep because there are two training sessions tomorrow,’ and she took me away from the bar. She took care of me.”
When Agata was 17, she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a collection of disorders that prevent the bone marrow from producing sufficient blood cells. Some forms of MDS progress to leukemia, and Agata’s did. In the prime of her sports career, Agata needed to take a sabbatical in 2007 to fight the disease. The first part of her treatment involved many blood transfusions. When her fans discovered that she needed blood, they formed a queue to be donors, giving 3,170 pints.
Her condition worsened as she was preparing to marry Jacek Olszewski on June 9, 2007, leaving her too ill to go on a honeymoon. Because of her illness, doctors cautioned her against getting pregnant, but she tried anyway. She was realistic about her slim prospects to beat the disease and, if she were going to die, she at least hoped to be able to give life.
She became pregnant soon after marrying. “The news about the child made me feel lucky again,” she said in a February news interview. “I felt happy that I would know what it is to be a mother and that I would give my husband something good of myself.”
A few weeks later, doctors discovered her cancer had progressed. They told her that she urgently needed a bone marrow transplant, but she opted to wait until after delivery to receive the transplant lest she imperil her child’s life. She clearly knew the risk she was taking, but considered the reward worth the danger, putting her child’s life above her own. She gave premature birth to a daughter, Lilliana, on April 4.
By the time of childbirth, her immune system was so compromised that her doctors did not allow her to hold Lilliana, except to touch her palms briefly before she was moved to another hospital in preparation for the transplant, which was done on May 21. The doctors said that it would take ten days to a month for the new bone marrow to begin to function properly. On Wednesday June 4, however, she caught an infection and despite her doctors’ best efforts and her fighting spirit, they were not able to save her life.
Five days later, on what would have been the first anniversary of her marriage, she was buried from the Church where she had joyfully exchanged vows. Her funeral was preceded by two days of mourning in her native Tarnow. At the beginning of the Mass, which was attended by thousands, her husband Jacek rolled a stroller with a sleeping Lilliana to the front of the Church and placed an orange rose next to her remains.
In his homily, the celebrant of the Mass, Bishop Marian Florczyk, said that Agata’s life is a witness of “love of life, motherhood, the desire to give life and the heroic love of an unborn child.” He added that she had “passed into a different world, to a different team, to our primary Coach.”
Agata Mroz learned the lessons of sports and applied them in life. Accustomed to giving all she had on the court, Agata indeed gave the best of herself to her husband and every last ounce of herself to her daughter. She learned that there were things more important than herself, and she valued Lilliana’s life more than her own — even before she was conceived.
Hello. I’m 18 and I just graduated high school last May. I just found out about a month ago that I’m pregnant.
I’m thankful to be having this baby. However, I am scared out of my mind. I will be going to college in the fall. and doing school, work, and this pregnancy will be challenging. I just hope that I will succeed because when my baby is born, I want to give him/her the best life possible… Which I know will be hard considering my age and my living style.
The father though is still in the picture which I am thankful for, and I hope that he remains.
I know that they are relatively unrelated to my brain, but my breasts hurt so bad right now I can not concentrate on anything else.
Perhaps let’s start with an introduction to more than just my breasts. I am 30 years old. 15 years ago, I had an abortion, and 5 years ago, I gave birth to my first son and 16 months later, my second son came into the world. But then, well then the marriage fell apart and their father and I separated. Shortly after, I found someone incredible. That was 18 months ago. He was the one. I honestly said to myself, this is the man I want to spend the rest of my days and nights with. About 13 months ago (during what must now be called, “Breakup of the Ages, part I”), I sat up in bed, suddenly in the middle of the night and I said to myself: “omigod – I am going to have his baby girl!” I didn’t mean then, I knew I wasn’t pregnant. It was just some sort of weird knowingness. We got back together. We laughed, we loved…
We broke up again a few weeks ago – he isn’t ready to commit to a girl with two kids, doesn’t really want to take the leap to moving into his new house with us. I tried to understand. Hell, I am still trying. But I became broken. I had to work really hard to get through the days so my kids would not see and feel all that was going on around them. I vowed off any future relationships, stopped taking the pill and worryingly, just couldn’t keep food down if I could get myself to eat at all.
Two weeks ago, he came over after a dinner party and was hardly capable of speech. I was mostly asleep, yet happy to see him. And then the inevitable. Its a fluke and a half that I know I am pregnant now. I went to the doctor to discuss birth control options I don’t have to think about now that I am hardly thinking about sex. The blood test revealed that birth control is really not necessary at this point, though the urine test didn’t reveal it yet. Early days, early days.
2 weeks in (or is it 4 weeks?) and yes, I can feel it – and as I said, mainly in my breasts. I am also sleeping 10 hours a night and yawning 45 minutes after I wake up. I am constipated and cranky. Oh yes, the joys…
But he is not ready to commit to me, let alone a baby. I can not do this without him. I don’t earn enough (and kicker, I am living in a foreign country and do not qualify for social welfare). My existing childcare revolves around my boys’ father. I have no family here and even though I have some lovely friends, no one is really in a position to step up to the plate and help me out in the way that I need them to. I don’t feel it is right to ask him to give up his future for a reality I am already in (though I know there will be a million contenders to that). Early days. I have time to make a decision, but if I keep this baby, it will be on my own – even if he helps me financially. He has said he is not ready (who ever is? and am I for that matter?) and I said I wasn’t asking him to be. I thought termination was the option for both of us when I told him. And anyhow, it is early days…
But now? Now I sit at my desk and I struggle with myself. I argue and I fight. And my body is fighting me back (thank you for the lovely physical pain to go with the mental anguish). As cloudy as my brain is, I found myself picking up a pregnancy magazine along with milk and bread last night. I thought about baby fingers and baby toes. I thought about that little girl I thought I was going to have. And in between the burbing and the nausea, I really think I want this baby. But I am alone and lost and confused and afraid. And I thought I was past all of this… I never thought I would be here right now… And the fact that it is early days is of no consolation to me right now…
Well, here goes my twisted and somewhat romantic story.
I’m 16 years old, a month and a half pregnant, and the guy who fathered my child is over 3 hours away. Roughly 7 weeks ago, I was at summer camp – SAT summer camp, to be exact. While going to classes and attending study hall and bonding with my new friends, I met this guy…. We connected immediately. It was like I knew him my whole life – He was attractive, charming, intelligent (660 on his math section), and athletic. Everything I was into; he was into as well. We bonded for the rest of the 2 weeks, we were there. We were always together – It drove my camp friends wild. It was like we were in an exclusive relationship the way we argued and the way we loved. 2 times, we got intimate, but on the last day of camp, we exchanged necklaces with emotional attachment for each other to hold on to until we would meet again in life – Of course, tears were shed.
Since that last day of camp, we talked every day. 24/9. Texting and calling and myspacing. We then decided to make it official – We wanted to try the long distance relationship. We knew we could make it work… We knew it was meant to be. 3 1/2 weeks after the last day of camp, I decided to go to the local clinic because I wanted to see if well – I was YOU KNOW and well I was. Surprise, surprise. I told my love and he was just as shocked as I was. We are trying to make this work – Our parents aren’t happy, but they’re glad we’re being adult about it.
I came to this site for support… It’s hard only seeing him once a week until the baby comes when he’ll move in. But I need advice, love, and support. I found this site and knew I could get it from here.
My heart’s your home, my love is what wills you stay. My life is what yearns for you to live.
I never thought I would be here; it’s someone else’s life I am living. I didn’t kiss you goodbye. I am choking on the words I didn’t get to say to you, baby girl. I pray I get the chance one day. I still think you will be there like before. Some things a heart won’t listen to. I am still holding on for you… I can hear you smile in the dark, I can feel you breathing, Daylight chases the ghosts, I see you cold and I fall apart. Time is supposed to heal, but my heartache grows with each day you’re gone. I should get up and dry my eyes and move ahead. At least that’s what Daddy would have said. I’m still holding out for you. Faithfully, I trace your face as I sleep. It’s the only true comfort I feel, my darling angel. Above your face is in everything I see you in everything. I feel myself losing you at the same time, straining to hold onto you. I hold on to moments, faces, noises, laughs, even cries. Your life was full, though short. I hold onto every night that I held you to my heart and fed you from my person. I remember staring down at the little sucking face to eager and content. Your hair was dark, and you were the chubbiest baby. I was so tired, Angel. You never gave me a break. I look back at those nights I got to hold you and you trusted me with your every need. A bond so strong that I would have given my life for your mire fiber of happiness. I can hear the silent mule of your efforts and then silence, just me and you. I treasure those moments. I treasure the first time you realized I was your mom. You hurt yourself and looked up with those huge brown eyes, full of tears and reached for me. You lay your head on my shoulder and shuddered. You calmed in my arms, knowing you were safe. I could have held you all day. I carry these moments with my every moment of my day. I am still holding onto you Angel. You surely were a gift from God. People float through our lives to teach us. You were sent to me to teach me how to love. Love is the only wish I have for your sister or brother that grows inside me.
My wish is that they are loved.
I am 18 years old and just found out I am pregnant again.
The first time I got pregnant, I was sixteen years old and ended up getting an abortion because I felt as though it was the right decision at the time. I have known the father of my baby since I was 13 and we’ve dated on and off since that age. We were together for two and a half years steadily and then our entire relationship fell apart and we just recently got back together a month ago and now I am pregnant with his child again. He told me he would support me with whatever decision I make but also told me that he is leaning more towards an abortion because we both are still really young and having a child is a lot of responsibility and he doesn’t think I will be able to handle it mentally either.
Because of my first pregnancy resulting in abortion, I am really contemplating on whether or not to keep this child. I regretted having that abortion at times and now I don’t think it is fair to my unborn child that he/she doesn’t get to live because of mistakes that I have made. The truth is I am just plain scared and don’t know if I will be a good mother or if I will be able to handle parenthood at this age. I think it will destroy my relationship with my current boyfriend because of mood swings and we are currently on rocky terms as it is.
I don’t want to bring an unwanted child into this world or have the child and then have them go through the pain of having unmarried parents who don’t stay together and all of the tension and animosity that comes along with it.
I’m also uncertain about all of the responsibilities and how my parents will react, let alone the fact I will be completely destroying my body at such a young age. Not only that but I’m still not sure what I even want to do with my life financial wise and I can’t provide for myself independently let alone a child along with it.
So many things can also go wrong during pregnancy too and if all does go well and the baby comes out completely healthy, then that is just the beginning to a long road and the beginning of a completely different life and lifestyle. I don’t know maybe I am just being selfish but I also don’t understand that if my boyfriend really loved me, why wouldn’t he want me to have his child??
Could anyone please respond to this blog and give me advice without a completely biased opinion on what you think I should do.
Thank you
