Janek Filipowicz and his son, Wincenty, enjoy last year¹s summer weather. Janek has been battling cancer for 10 years and hopes a new medication will keep him stable.

Those dreams were almost shattered when Janek was diagnosed with cancer less than one year after their wedding.

But, 10 years later, Mary Ann and Janek are living the American dream - owning a home in Sterling Heights, raising one child with another on the way, and living life ... all while grappling with Janek’s ongoing battle with cancer.

The story begins 10 years ago, Mary Ann said, when her husband discovered a large lump near his stomach while showering. Because they were young, she said, the couple didn’t have a primary care physician they visited on a regular basis.

“We were young newlyweds and never thought about going to the doctor on a regular basis,” Mary Ann said. “We didn’t even know the name of a surgeon or where to start looking for one. That is not something you think about when you are 26.”

Janek was referred to a surgeon at St. John Hospital, who removed a 9-by-9-centimeter mass. The surgery left a gaping hole in Janek’s abdominal area, which had to be repaired by a plastic surgeon.

The couple felt immense relief when the first test came back and diagnosed Janek with fibromatosis, a benign fatty mass of tissue. However, days later, the joy turned to disbelief when it was revealed that after further tests, Janek had cancer.

Because the tumor had been removed, the doctor ordered Janek to undergo CAT scans every six months, to keep watch on any future growths.

One year after the surgery, during a routine CAT scan, Mary Ann said they received the upsetting news that the cancer had metastasized to Janek’s lungs.

“We were really scared at this point because we thought that if it could spread to the lungs, where else could it spread,” Mary Ann said. “Even though we knew sarcoma wasn’t a fast-growing or moving cancer, we were still scared.”

After having surgery to remove the nodules from his lungs, Mary Ann said they sought out second and third opinions from the University of Michigan and Sloan Kettering.

All the hospitals agreed: Janek had epitheliod sclerosis fibrosarcoma.

Doctors only gave Janek about 14 months to live.

“We were healthy young people, living life and having fun,” Mary Ann said. “I was devastated and really struggled with the news, because I lost my mom to cancer when I was 15 and automatically assumed the same would happen to my husband. Janek was so strong, though. I never saw him get down.”

Janek began chemotherapy, but stopped after two rounds when the tumors were continuing to grow.

“We began searching for an option - absolutely any option - to get treatment for Janek,” Mary Ann said. “After much searching, because there are not many trials for sarcoma, we were lucky enough to find a clinical trial he could be a part of.”

The Filipowiczes made the decision to leave St. John Hospital to be involved in a clinical trial for sarcoma patients at the University of Michigan Health System, under the direction of Dr. Laurence Baker, a fibrosarcoma expert.

He, along with 50 other patients, began taking RFS 2000, as part of a 3-year clinical trial.

“My husband was one of the success stories, because over the course of the trial, his tumors remained stable and didn’t grow,” Mary Ann said. “We felt blessed to have found something that worked.”

When the clinical trial ended in 2002, Janek made the decision to forgo any treatment to try and live a normal life - working, socializing, traveling and possibly trying to start a family.

“I completely and totally disagreed with his decision to stop taking medicine,” Mary Ann said. “I begged him to at least get a script for RFS 2000, but ultimately, we decided to see what went on with the cancer, without the poisons of chemotherapy running through his body.”

With no chemotherapy, Janek continued with his regular CAT scans for three years and had no significant changes. During this time, Mary Ann said, they began discussing the possibility of starting a family.

“This is something we wanted since the beginning of our marriage, but we knew that conceiving a child when Janek was sick would not have been responsible,” Mary Ann said. “We thought that since there had been no changes, we could start the family. We knew that there was no such thing as the tumors disappearing, because there is no cure, but we always pray for one.”

The couple faced another agonizing decision on whether to conceive the child naturally.

“One doctor told that that because of the amount of chemotherapy Janek had undergone, there was a chance something could have been wrong with the baby,” Mary Ann said. “After discussion with other doctors, we found out the risk was not as high as we previously thought. We had been wanted this for so long, so we decided to try naturally to have baby.”

Wincenty was born in June 2005 and Mary Ann said that it has changed their lives forever.

“You don’t realize what a blessing a child can be until it actually happens to you,” Mary Ann said. “When you are dealing with a disease as awful as cancer, you can forget that there are blessing out there. Then I look at our son and realize just how lucky we are.”

Overjoyed at the birth of their child, but still worried about his cancer, Mary Ann said that Janek’s doctors were growing impatient that he was receiving no treatment for a disease that had already spread.

“Janek did not want the poisons in his body and wanted to continue researching other options,” Mary Ann said. “We discussed our options and decided to pursue another form of chemotherapy called Gleevec.”

Before Janek started receiving the chemotherapy, they had a very welcome and pleasant surprise; Mary Ann was expecting another child, due this August. Janek began the therapy in last November, one month after finding out about the new baby.

“We have discussed what would happen if something should happen to Janek, because he is the sole provider for the family,” Mary Ann said. “I am realistic in the knowledge that I would have to go back to work, raise children and honor my husband’s memory should something ever happen.”

In addition to planning for the new baby, Janek and Mary Ann are also researching other treatment options at Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit, which has a sarcoma specialist center.

“We know he has this time bomb inside of him that could go off at any time and we just want to try every option available to us,” Mary Ann said. “I want my husband to be around for a long time.”

Mary Ann admitted that it is her husband’s strength that gets her through her darkest days; days when she feels like she can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.

“My husband brings us all hope, with his positive attitude and strength,” Mary Ann said. “He always said that he doesn’t feel like there is anything wrong and although some people may say that seems like denial, sometimes that is the best way to deal. You have to hope for the best but expect for the worst in dealing with a disease like cancer. It is like my husband is fighting a war, except the war is taking place in his body.”

She also said that her very firm belief in the institution of marriage, spending your life with one person and being fully committed to that person has helped her overcome some of her darkest days.

“It has been like a roller coaster ride since we said ŒI do,’” Mary Ann said. “I am fully committed to my husband and I took my vows very, very seriously. When I said Œin sickness and in health,’ I meant it. I love him too much, and I could never and would never leave him.”

Mary Ann said that if there can be a positive that comes from her husband’s battle with cancer: how it has changed both of their outlooks on life.

“We are able to keep our life simple and not complicate it with things that aren’t important,” Mary Ann said. “We learned to live for right now and I would offer that advice to anyone. You never know what is going to happen tomorrow, so focus on making every day special.”