A Family Road Trip, Two Old Harleys, And 8,500 KM Of Hope For A 15-Year-Old With Cancer

What started as a crazy idea turned into 8,552 kilometers (5,314 miles) of faith, asphalt, breakdowns, kindness, and people we’ll never forget.

In the summer of 2025, we left Poland on two aging Harley-Davidsons, not as professional adventurers or record chasers, but as two teachers, parents, and riders who couldn’t stay indifferent. Our goal was simple and painfully important: to give hope to one brave boy fighting cancer.

Michał Milczarek is a 15-year-old boy from Poland, who’s been fighting neuroblastoma, a cruel and relentless cancer, for seven years. His battle is quiet. Daily. Exhausting. And it’s far from over.

We knew that saving him wouldn’t come from likes, views, or empty words. It would come from people. From telling his story over and over again, until someone listened — and then someone else. So we packed our saddlebags with flyers, put on T-shirts with a QR code linked to Michał’s story, took our 12-year-old son with us, and rode.

Did we raise enough? Not yet. The fundraiser grew thanks to strangers, riders, mechanics, waitresses, shop owners, and people following us online. But Michał still needs treatment. And help.

Anyone who wants to help can do so here.

More info: oaksnwheels.com | Facebook

The route: Europe, one human story at a time

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We started in Komorniki, Poland, supported from day one by local residents and authorities who believed this mission mattered. From there, the road carried us through: Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, and finally, back to Poland.

Every day, we shared updates on our Facebook page Oaks’n’Wheels, and every day, strangers responded

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This wasn’t a holiday, it was a test of endurance, trust, weather, machines, and ourselves

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Green hills, broken brakes, and unexpected heroes

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In Romania, the Carpathians tested our skills and nerves

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The Transfăgărășan and Transalpina roads were breathtaking and unforgiving

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In Bucharest, our Fat Boy needed urgent brake repairs, and when the H-D Bucharest team heard why we were riding, they fixed it free of charge

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Crossing into Turkey, we expected heat, traffic, and chaos

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What we didn’t expect was generosity on a level that left us speechless

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At Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, a man named Abdullah handed us a scarf for Michał

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We visited Harley-Davidson dealerships and met Tarhan Telli, a legend in the custom bike world, known for builds featured in The Expendables movies

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He welcomed us like family, which is a moment that stayed with us

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After Istanbul, Greece felt like a deep breath

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Blue skies, cicadas, the Aegean Sea

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In Thessaloniki, Adrian’s Road King needed a fuel pump

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Then came Albania — wild, raw, and honest

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Twisting roads and towering mountains

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Lake Ohrid and Lake Shkodër

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Fresh fish, and people who welcomed us like old friends

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Some places don’t just impress you, they pull you back

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Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia brought perfect riding weather and roads that make you forget time

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Dubrovnik was the first highlight: a city of marble and history

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Mostar was the other: a city of stone, rubble, and hope

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These were days full of emotion, history, and extraordinary people

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And the route gave us everything: the views, the challenges, and people we’ll never forget

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In Bosnia, we met a Polish biker riding a 1937 Harley Knucklehead

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Through Slovenia’s vineyards, into Italy, where motorsport history lives on cobblestones and courage

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Where motorsport history lives on cobblestones and courage

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At the Mille Miglia Museum, we were reminded how racing once meant raw bravery, no electronics, no safety nets

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From there, through the Mont Blanc tunnel into France

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We visited Annecy, Dijon, Amiens

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Meeting riders who opened their garages, shared meals, and donated without hesitation

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In Belgium, we reunited with H.O.G. friends

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In The Netherlands, we stopped at Dutch Hills dealership

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In Germany, Thunderbike in Hamminkeln gave Michał a hat and T-shirt, which we delivered to him right after we returned home

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Then came Germany’s autobahns

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No speed limits, just gratitude and a long ride back to Poland

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Coming home wasn’t about unpacking bikes

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It was about meeting Michał again

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Together with his mom, grandmother, and grandfather, we gave him everything we had collected along the way

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What this journey left us with were memories and friendships across Europe, and lessons we’ll carry forever – especially the ones shared with our 12-year-old son: gratitude for every coffee, bed, donation, smile, and hug; faith in the goodness of people; humility in the face of nature and human struggle; and a deep sense of brotherhood – the H.O.G. spirit felt everywhere, from garages to gas stations. People never asked why we were riding, only “What can we do?” And that’s why we believe in a happy ending.

With love and road dust,
Anna & Adrian Dąbek

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