Dear friends, acquaintances and all those wishing to help!

Márta Hegedűsné Majnár, known as Márta, the Executive Chair of the Association of Country Houses and Open-Air Museums, needs our help now!

In May 2026, Márta was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an extremely aggressive form of brain tumour. The disease is expected to recur despite conventional surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The disease progresses extremely rapidly, typically over 14–18 months. It’s a race against time! One of the most advanced treatments available is a personalised tumour immunotherapy, which significantly increases the patient’s chances of survival and improves their quality of life. The vaccine is manufactured in Germany, whilst the therapy must be administered in Lithuania.

This therapy is a complementary treatment, costing 100,000 euros including associated costs. Preparations for this have already begun through professional contacts; however, the treatment requires a very significant financial outlay, which Márti and her family can only cover in part.

We would therefore like to ask for the help of members of the Tájházszövetség’s extended family – relatives, friends, former colleagues and acquaintances – to raise this sum!

Background:

Márti’s symptoms began in February 2026. Initially, a stroke was suspected, but further investigations confirmed a space-occupying lesion in the brain – in other words, a brain tumour. Surgery took place on 7 May; the tumour was successfully removed, although it was already clear at that stage that this was a type of tumour which infiltrates the surrounding healthy brain tissue with microscopic tumour cells. For this reason, the risk of recurrence remains extremely high even after what appears to be a complete surgical removal. The histological diagnosis is glioblastoma, WHO grade 4, which is one of the most aggressive types of brain tumour.

With the current standard treatment — surgery, radiotherapy and temozolomide chemotherapy, i.e. the Stupp protocol — the median survival for glioblastoma in various patient groups is typically around 14–18 months, although this may vary from person to person depending on the outcome of surgery, age, general health and response to treatment.This is precisely why it is particularly important to identify any scientifically sound, personalised complementary treatment options that can improve outcomes by building on standard care.  

A study published in *Nature* in 2024 reports on a new, personalised treatment option. The essence of the method is that so-called neoantigens are generated using a tissue sample from a glioblastoma patient. These are proteins produced on the basis of DNA from the tissue sample and are therefore specific to the individual’s tumour. The aim of the treatment is to elicit a specific immune response.

The personalised immunotherapy programme at the University Hospital of Tübingen in Germany has emerged as a viable complementary option alongside current treatment.In an international observational study , the median overall survival of patients treatedin this way was 31.9 months, and even more favourable survival outcomes were reported in those who developed a stronger, multi-target immune response.

The study, published in *Nature*, can be read here:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-51315-8

Who is Márti?

Márta Hegedűsné Majnár was a founding member of the board of the Country House Association in 2002, and for the past 15 years she has served as executive chair of this professional organisation, which operates nationwide and across the Carpathian Basin. She is a nationally recognised figure in the Hungarian civil society sector and a committed advocate for the cause of local heritage centres. Márti was born in 1968 and is a cultural and tourism specialist with 30 years’ experience; she is currently the tourism manager at Károly Eszterházy Catholic University. She lives in Noszvaj with her husband, Gyula.

What does this therapeutic option involve?

This treatment in Tübingen is not yet funded in Hungary. Based on the available data, it is one of the most promising personalised immunotherapy approaches for glioblastoma, particularly if the patient completes the standard treatment and remains in good general health. The aim is that, once her oncological treatment in Hungary has been completed,Márti toowill have access to this personalised treatment option, which may offer the chance of delaying the recurrence of the disease, and improve her expected survival time.

What do we hope to achieve?

We would like to give Márti the opportunity to undergo immunotherapy. This treatment could give her years of life and a good quality of life, allowing her to remain an active member of her family and our community. We would like to be able to spend many, many more years with Márti; he is a very important figure to the Country House Association and to all of us. There can be no question that our country house community will also help a man who has served our cause for more than two decades. The histology results required for treatment are available and can be sent to the hospital providing the treatment.

How can you donate?

Donations are being collected in euros, as the cost of the treatment is also set in euros. We are grateful for every donation that can be put towards Márti’s treatment!

If the payment system is glitchy, don’t let that put you off – it will work the second time round. If the little hourglass icon doesn’t stop spinning, or if any other problem arises, we recommend closing and reopening the window. Your donation won’t be counted twice. If this does happen, we can of course refund it.

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Every bit of help is a huge support – thank you!