Help for Marek Piotrowski
Marek Piotrowski – an icon of Polish kick-boxing and spot in general was the most successful kickboxer in Polish history with many triumphs in the 80s and 90s. Born on 14 August 1964 in Dębe Wielkie. At the age of 24, with $70 in his hand, he decided to travel to the USA to start his professional career. In October 1988 he fought his first fight in the U.S. In Rockford, Illiniois where he defeated Bob Handegan via knockout in the 4th round. On August 19, 1989, in his fifth fight overseas, he shocked the kickboxing world by defeating the reigning national champion Rick "The Jet" Roufus in the 10th round via a unanimous decision. This victory won Marek the P.K.C. middleweight belt. His stunning performances in the ring earned him the nickname “The Punisher”. On November 4, 1989 Marek defeated Don "The Dragon" Wilson and became a professional world champion of ISKA, PKC and FFKA organizations. In July 1992 he fought the Canadian Conrad Pla for the I.S.K.A North American title, whom he defeated in 3rd round via K.O. On November 22, 1992 Marek fought the legenedary Dutch kickboxing champion Rob Kaman for a shot at the I.S.K.A. World title under Oriental Rules (which allowed for low kicks). He lost by TKO in the seventh round after an extremely dramatic battle. After this defeat, he once again fought for the lost titles. For the next few years he was looking for a chance to avenge his losses to Kaman and Roufus, but he never got another chance. During his kickboxing career, Piotrowski continued his career as a professional boxer, fighting a total of 21 light heavyweight duels from 1992 to 1996. He won all of them! His last fight took place on December 13, 1996 in Hannover, where he won a boxing match. In 1997 he was offered the opportunity to fight for the IBF World Boxing Championship with Reggie Johnson, but was forced to resign due to health problems. He spent most of his savings on medical treatment and drove a taxi in Detroit for three years just to make ends meet. In 2002 he returned to Poland. In 1991 Aleksander Bilik published the book "Kickbokser", describing Marek Piotrowski's career until 1990, and in 2007 he made a full-length documentary film "Wojownik- Warrior", directed by Jacek Bławut, describing his career. In 2009 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta by the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczyński for his sporting achievements and social work. Later, he also received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta from the Minister of Sport and Tourism, Witold Bańka, awarded by the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda. In total, Marek Piotrowski’s career consisted of: 13 fights in contact karate, 44 fights in kickboxing, 42 of them wins and 21 fights in boxing, all wins. His persistence in pursuit of his goals has lead to admiration all over the world. As a result of a progressive disease, which is not fully diagnosed, he had no opportunity to continue his career and that is why now we can help him. Today's times of modern, precise diagnoses, interdisciplinary medical teams, gives us a chance to find the right way to treat extremely difficult clinical cases such as Piotrowski’s. Based on experience, knowledge and constant cooperation with other medical centers and institutes, we try to help in achieving respiratory, motor and functional efficiency. Unfortunately, the costs of treatment and rehabilitation are very high and significantly exceed the financial capabilities of the family, therefore, in order to be able to comprehensively, systematically and professionally help, your constant support is very much needed.