In mid-1943, the hiding Andrzej and Irena Kramsztyk and their daughter Joanna were exposed and robbed of everything she had. A family of three was left without shelter and livelihood. Andrzej Kramsztyk decided then that the only way to survive was to ask for help from Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, who was a friend of his brother Józef Kramsztyk (died 1942). For safety reasons, Joasia Kramsztyk, still under age, set off on her own to Stawisko. Anna and Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz took care of the family immediately. Andrzej Kramsztyk found shelter in Milanówek, and Joasia and her mother were placed in the countryside near Stawisko. At that time, the girl fell ill with appendicitis. Thanks to the help of the Iwaszkiewicz family, an operation was successfully carried out in the underground, which saved Joanna Kramsztyk's life. Her account later contributed to the award of the Righteous Among the Nations to Iwaszkiewicz. After the war, the Kramsztyk family settled in Łódź, where Joanna Kramsztyk started a family. She married Leon Prochaska, with whom she had two sons - twins Janusz and Krzysztof. She died in 2011. She was the last person to bear the family name.
The prayer book from 1932 served as an additional security measure for Joasia Kramsztyk in the event of an arrest by the Gestapo. It happened that Jews carried with them, apart from false baptism certificates or documents, also Christian devotional items, which were to make their owners 'Aryan' credible. Joasia's later husband, Leon Prochaska, also carried a false baptism certificate with him during the occupation to authenticate his presence on the "Aryan side". According to Joanna's son, Janusz Prochaska, thanks to her appearance (she was blonde, her parents did not have the so-called good looks), for a long time she was "the only link between the family and the world".
The family of Joanna Kramsztyk hid on the "Aryan side" throughout the entire period of the German occupation. When the girl left the safe haven outside, she carried a picture with the image of St. Teresa and a prayer book. Devotional articles were to constitute an additional confirmation of her "Christian" identity and justify her presence outside the ghetto.
Marta Frączkiewicz