11 years ago, October 5, 2014, Poland lost one of its brightest stars of cinema and television – Anna Przybylska. The actress left at the age of only 36 after a heroic fight against pancreatic cancer, leaving her family, friends and millions of fans in mourning. Today, after more than a decade since her death, it is worth recalling how insidious the illness has been, and the symptoms she has complained about were initially underestimated as a result of daily stress and responsibilities. What exactly tormented Anna before diagnosis? Let's go through her story step by step.
Short biography of Anna Przybylska
Anna Przybylska was born on December 26, 1978 in Gdynia and quickly became an icon of Polish show-business. She was famous for her roles in popular television series such as "Złotopolski" or "Daleko from a stretcher", where her charisma and natural charm conquered the hearts of viewers. She was privately the happy mother of three children – Olivia, Simon and Jasi – whom she and her partner Jarosław Bieniak raised. The actress's life seemed perfect: career, family, professional activity. No one knew that behind the scenes was a deadly disease.
First disturbing symptoms
The first disturbing signals came a few years before diagnosis. Anna complained first of the two main symptoms: long-term fatigue and stomach problems. These symptoms did not give rise to a major alarm at first – the research did not show any irregularities, and the actress herself explained them with exhausting childcare, stress and professional duties. In three years, she lost weight, which was also attributed to healthy lifestyles or pressures of everyday life. Her sister says in her book "Ania": "This is easy to explain: exhausting care for a bunch of children, stress, professional duties. That depression may be the first symptom of pancreatic cancer, none of the loved ones nor knows." These seemingly banal ailments proved to be heralds of pancreatic cancer, which developed quietly and cunningly.
Diagnosis and characterisation
Diagnosis came in the summer of 2013, when MRI revealed a tumor deep at the spine, between the head and the pancreas's core. Initially, the change did not appear to be malignant, but further studies confirmed the worst – pancreatic cancer. Dariusz Zadrożny from the Centre for Oncology in Gdańsk explained after the death of the actress that the location of the tumor delayed the detection of the disease. pancreatic cancer is extremely insidious, because it often does not give clear symptoms at an early stage. Typical symptoms worth paying attention to are weakness, weight loss, lack of appetite, abdominal or back pain, nausea, vomiting and changes in bowel movements. In Anna's case, these signals have been ignored for too long, which unfortunately is a common scenario in this disease.
Memoirs of Relatives
An actress's friend, Katarzyna Bujakiewicz, recalled in interviews the last moments with Anna. "Ania in her last words said to me that we would still eat these Poznań yeasts," she said, adding that Poznań loved Przybylska for its authenticity. These memories emphasize how the disease changed the life of a young, energetic woman who was fighting for normality for her family.
Lesson from Anna Przybyla’s History
Anna Przybylska's story is not only a sad story about loss, but also an important lesson about health vigilance. pancreatic cancer remains one of the most fatal cancers, precisely because of its discreet symptoms. 11 years after she left, in December 2025, when the 47th birthday (26 December 2025) would have recently passed, it is worth remembering about regular research and not even underestimate the "normal" fatigue. Anna will forever be remembered as a symbol of strength and beauty, and her story can save the lives of others.
