For months, I couldn’t bring myself to write this.
Not because I didn’t know what to say. Because I was afraid. Afraid it was a dream. Afraid that if I opened my mouth, it would end.
On 17 January 2025, I received a message telling me I had a patron.
Mariusz Augustyniak has supported me every single month since that day. He started at the lowest tier. Month by month, he increased his support. Recently, he chose the highest tier.
I’m not sure Mariusz realises what he did.
Why I started at all.
In March 2019, I ended up in hospital with fluid in my lungs and “masses” visible on the scans. Months of fear, biopsies, and agonising uncertainty followed. When cancer was ruled out, the relief was immense – but the new diagnosis was life-altering: sarcoidosis. An autoimmune disease in which my own immune system is overzealous – too strong for its own good. It causes inflammation and clumps of cells called granulomas to form in organs; in my case, primarily my lungs.
For years, there were periods when walking was impossible. On the rare good days when I could manage a few steps and meet friends, their shock was visible. “What happened? Were you in an accident?” Explaining that it wasn’t an acute injury but a constant, invisible internal battle was difficult.
I started the YouTube channel and blog for a very simple reason: to occupy my mind. To stop thinking about the illness. I thought maybe I could show someone that illness doesn’t have to mean hopelessness. That you can photograph with a walker. That you can drive a caravan from Belfast to Poland. That you can sit by an empty pond and wait for the heron to come back.
And then Mariusz appeared.
A symbolic contribution from one person – even the smallest one – makes life feel worthwhile. It makes you feel needed. It tells you that someone sees the point in what you do.
Sarcoidosis is a disease of phases. There are periods of remission when the illness loosens its grip – I can breathe more easily, be more active, feel something close to normal. Last year was one of those gifts. My wife and I fulfilled a dream – several trips in a camper van, moments of freedom and joy. For a while, I dared to hope for a permanent return to my old life.
But sarcoidosis is as unpredictable as the weather. After calm comes a storm. I can feel myself entering a new phase of regression. The autumn chill is a trigger for my overactive immune system.
And that is exactly why Mariusz’s support means so much. Not only financially. It’s a signal that it’s worth leaving the house even when the body protests. That it’s worth photographing even when the heron eats the goldfish. That it’s worth telling these stories.
To all of you.
If you know someone who creates with passion, who is fighting something difficult and still walks out the door with a camera – support them. Even the smallest amount. Even £3 a month. It really makes a difference. Especially now, when we scroll endlessly, and everything passes without a trace.
Mariusz – thank you for every month. For every tier. For not giving up.
❤️ Łukasz
Photographer with a Walker
👉 Support: patronite.pl/photographerwithawalker
WordPress Tags:
thank-you, patronite, mariusz-augustyniak, sarcoidosis, autoimmune-disease, photographer-with-a-walker, support-creators, invisible-illness, life-with-sarcoidosis, walker, photography-as-therapy, gratitude