Życzę ci z serca mocy Abyś co dzień i w nocy Wytrwał! Wytrwał!! Wytrwał!!!Choćbyś miał ziemskie ciało w proch spalić Musisz ducha ocalić!

— Jerzy Probosz (1901-1942)

Since my childhood, I grew up with the stigma of a family tragedy related to World War II.

My grandfather, Jerzy Probosz, a poet, prose writer, and the author of the theater play "The Wedding of the Highlanders of Istebna". In 1938 he was awarded with Wawrzyn Literacki (Literary Laurel Wreath) for his work by the Academy of Polish Literature in Warsaw.

A year later he was arrested for the same work by the Germans, who — after invading Poland — as the first priority, transported our intelligentsia and patriots from the black list to concentration camps in Germany since they had not yet managed to build them in Poland. My grandfather was taken to the concentration camp in Dachau, Germany, where he was murdered in 1942.

He orphaned nine children, one of them was my father, he was only 10 years old.

On the day of his brutal arrest, my grandfather managed to scratch a few words on a scrap of paper to a friend he was going to see that day.

I wish you strength from my heart
That you may endure every day and night!
Endure! Endure!! Endure!!!
Even if you burn the earthly body down to dust,
Your spirit must survive."

The power of his words and their message, have become my life motto and the driving force of my steadfastness - Marek Probosz