Meet the 2025 SunriseWALKS - Camp Ambassador Family 
The Przemyski Family
Maya age 12, Oli age 9 and their parents Alicja and Mariusz

Here is their story as told by Alicja:

It's hard to imagine life before leukemia. The world had already turned upside down with the pandemic, and then our lives were turned upside down again.

During COVID-19, Maya and Oli adjusted well, happy as always, navigating remote school on their devices. Then, one day, Maya’s dad, Mariusz, tested positive for COVID. The next day, I did too. Suddenly, we were all quarantined, and our kids couldn’t go to school. Maya started showing symptoms we assumed were from COVID. Once Mariusz’s quarantine ended, he took her to the pediatrician. Maya tested negative, and we thought all was well.

When my quarantine ended, we went to the lab for more testing. The next day, Maya’s pediatrician called, urging us to rush to the emergency room because her bloodwork had come back dangerously low. Within an hour of her admission to NYU Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital and a few quick tests, the doctor pulled me aside, asked me to sit, and gently said, “Maya has leukemia.”

Did I hear that right? “Is this…cancer?” I asked, needing painful confirmation. The doctor nodded. My world shattered. I crumbled. I called Mariusz at work. He dropped to the floor, asking the same question I had—Why?

There was no answer to that question.

It was a journey—a hard journey for all of us. Mommy, Daddy, Oli, grandparents, aunts, uncles, family, friends. Years of treatments, endless doctor’s visits, countless pokes, chemo infusions, bloodwork, physical therapy, and sessions with a psychologist. 

Maya struggled to understand why she could no longer be the athletic girl she’d always been, why she couldn’t play with friends or even spend time outside our home. She had so many questions: “Why me?” So many “No’s” to her simple wish just to feel “normal.” It was an incredibly difficult time, not just for Maya but also for her younger brother and for us as parents. You want to do everything for your children, and during that season, we felt powerless—even with the support of loved ones. We couldn’t give Maya back the life she knew, but we did everything we could.

Today, Maya is healthy and thriving—a middle-schooler now, kind, happy, supportive, and active. She’s tough and determined, and if you know her, you know just how strong she is. We couldn’t be prouder.

When the clinic first suggested that both Maya and Oli attend Sunrise Day Camp, we were cautious. How could Maya—diagnosed with cancer—spend the day outside, surrounded by so many people? But we took a tour and were astonished by what we found: a beautiful, joyful place, filled with kindness, support, and boundless happiness.

Of course, we still worried. But day after day, Maya and Oli came home beaming, talking about all the fun they’d had and the new friends they’d made. Sunrise gave them something truly priceless: the chance to just be kids again—a place where they could feel normal, have fun, and enjoy being outside with other kids.

Four summers have passed since then. We feel so lucky that our children can be at Sunrise Day Camp every day during the summer. We are deeply grateful to everyone at camp and honored to call Sunrise our kids’ “Home Away from Home.”

Now, as the 2025 SunriseWALKS Ambassador Family, we’re thrilled to share our story and celebrate Sunrise with our community.