Michał Dąbrowski won the silver medal in September fencing in wheelchairs during the Paralympic Games in Paris, even though he was struggling with intrahepatic bile duct cancer. However, this did not stop him from success, nor did the wheelchair he had to use. – The stroller did not stop me from being a husband, a father to Hansel and Gretel, a friend, and opened up new opportunities for me. My wife Basia didn't leave me, and that's not obvious at all. She motivated me to fight for myself – the athlete confessed.
What actually happened? I don't know. (…) We finished work and my father-in-law said he was going to get the ladder. I was still cleaning, throwing some pieces of sheet metal off the roof. Well, at some point I slipped. I grabbed the edge of the roof. I looked down. I don't have much left. My father-in-law shouted at me to wait, but I said there was no point and I would jump down. And I jumped down… Later, my father-in-law told me that when I fell, my legs jumped strangely – he said in an interview with Dawid Szymczak from Sport.pl.
Michał Dąbrowski is dead. “He was not only a champion, but also an inspiration to many people”
Finally, two months after his life's success, the foundation Legia Warszawa informed that Dąbrowski had died. “Michał was not only a champion in his discipline, but also an inspiration for many people, showing that with determination and passion you can overcome any barrier. His tireless fight on and off the board he will remain in the memory of all who had the honor of knowing him. Thank you Michael for everything you taught us. You will remain in our hearts forever,” it was written on Wednesday.
The previous day, President Andrzej Duda awarded him the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for outstanding sports achievements for his contribution to the development and dissemination of sports Paralympic. However, he was not able to enjoy this achievement, and judging by his past statements, he certainly would have.
– Now I feel alive because I move, I see the boys, I train, I can get tired. I come home and chase the kids and talk to my wife. I enjoy every day – he said after completing the treatment, adding, however, that every day costs him dearly. – Price is approximately PLN 750. More or less, because I once grabbed a calculator and calculated how much drugs cost. But without going into details, he added.
Dąbrowski wanted to take part in the next Olympic Games, but he always said that “I don't know if he will live to see them.” Still, he gave it his all. “I will definitely try, but there are things that may slow me down. Either way, I will try to squeeze as much as I can,” he concluded in August. In addition to medals at the Olympics, he also won bronze at the European Championships three times and won bronze twice at the World Championships.