Draft:Cancer Fighters Foundation

Cancer Fighters Foundation

The Cancer Fighters Foundation is a Polish non-governmental organisation supporting people affected by cancer. It was established on 17 September 2015 by Marek Kopyść in Gorzów Wielkopolski, where its headquarters are located. The foundation provides medical, financial and psychological assistance to cancer patients and their families.

The foundation organises fundraising campaigns, charitable events and public awareness initiatives. The organisation collaborates with partners on projects supporting people affected by cancer. In 2026, it was associated with a charity livestream that set a Guinness World Record for the highest amount raised during a charity livestream.

History

The Cancer Fighters project was initiated in June 2014 by Marek Kopyść, who had previously undergone cancer treatment. The following year, the Cancer Fighters Foundation was formally established. Since 2019, it has operated as a Public Benefit Organisation (Organizacja Pożytku Publicznego) under Polish law.

Activities

The Cancer Fighters Foundation focuses on cancer prevention, the purchase of medical equipment for hospitals and oncology wards, and support for people affected by cancer, regardless of age.

Support is provided through fundraising campaigns (more than 600 completed as of 2026), reimbursement of treatment costs, financial assistance to cover household expenses during treatment, and psycho-oncological support for patients and their families.

The foundation also coordinates volunteer involvement and collaborates with businesses, sports organisations and other institutions on charitable and public awareness initiatives.

As of 2026, the foundation reported supporting more than 700 beneficiaries and working with approximately 80 volunteers.

Programs and initiatives

The foundation organises a range of fundraising, public awareness and community initiatives, including sporting events, charitable campaigns and patient support programmes.

One such initiative was a charity football match held in 2019 in Gorzów Wielkopolski to raise funds for beneficiaries and purchase medical equipment. The inaugural edition, held the previous year, raised 100,000 Polish złoty (PLN) to fund a prosthetic limb and rehabilitation for a patient.

Since 2020, the foundation has organised the Boxing Challenge charity boxing gala, with Joanna Jędrzejczyk serving as its ambassador. As of 2026, the event has raised approximately 3 milion PLN for cancer treatment.

In 2024 and 2025, the Cancer Fighters Foundation partnered with the Superliga handball league on an initiative entitled Gramy Razem w Walce z Rakiem ("We Play Together in the Fight Against Cancer"), in which young beneficiaries participated alongside professional handball teams. A total of 24 clubs from the ORLEN Superliga and ORLEN Superliga Kobiet participated, raising a combined total of 338,000 PLN.

The foundation also operates several dedicated programmes.

Superprezent (Super Gift) is an initiative providing gifts and surprises for children and adults undergoing cancer treatment.

Pomaganie przez odchudzanie (Helping Through Weight Loss) is a campaign promoting healthy lifestyles while supporting cancer patients. Launched in 2020 in partnership with the Respo Dietary Centre and Dr Michał Wrzosek, the initiative converts participants’ weight loss into financial donations for Cancer Fighters Foundation beneficiaries, at a rate of 1 PLN per kilogram lost. As of 2026, participants had collectively lost 500,000 kilograms, generating 501,639 PLN for the foundation.

ChallengeAccepted is a community initiative encouraging charitable challenges and sporting activities that promote cancer awareness.

#BiegamDobrze (#IRun4Good) is a running initiative established in 2025 in collaboration with the Warsaw Marathon Foundation. Approximately 12,000 runners participated, raising around 9 million PLN in total for cancer treatment and research.

Charity livestream (2026)

In April 2026, Polish content creator Łatwogang hosted a nine-day charity livestream, titled Słucham 9 dni dissu na raka żeby pomóc dzieciom z Fundacji Cancer Fighters from his apartment in Warsaw to raise funds for the Cancer Fighters Foundation and its beneficiaries.

The event served as a fundraiser for the foundation and its beneficiaries. The livestream incorporated a track named Ciągle tutaj jestem (diss na raka) released a few days earlier by rapper Bedoes, featuring 11-year-old Maja Mecan, a beneficiary of the foundation Cancer Fighters who was undergoing treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia. Throughout the stream, the song was played on a loop while viewers were invited to make donations. The event attracted the participation of content creators, athletes and media personalities and received coverage from national and international media outlets.

The livestream set a Guinness World Record in the category of "most money raised during a charity livestream" According to the Cancer Fighters Foundation, approximately 291 million PLN had been raised by 1 June 2026 .