Ami's Fight

November 4th 2007 was the worst day of my childhood. I was 11 years old when we lost my cousin three days before his 12th birthday. We lost him to what started as a brain tumor but had quickly spread throughout his body. That loss hit our whole family hard. We still cannot speak of Hajrudin without being consumed in sadness.

Now lets fast forward to nearly 10 years later.  May 17th 2017, was the worst day of my adult life. Samija and Demir, my sister and brother in law, informed my family that my nephew, Amar, has a brain tumor on the lower part of his brain and along his entire spin.

The doctors told Samija and Demir that Amar has hydrocephalus, which would explain his constant headaches. Hydrocephalus is a condition where the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a clear fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, accumulates in larger quantities than normal. The excessive accumulation of CSF results in an abnormal widening of spaces in the brain called ventricles. This widening creates harmful pressure on the tissues of the brain. That pressure in turn created the headaches that Amar was feeling. When the doctors did the MRI’s they found that the bottom of Amar’s brain had never completely formed creating a gap in which a “capsule” of the CSF had formed. The doctors seemed optimistic and gave various options. One option was to drain the fluid by connecting a tube from his brain to his stomach, another was to try taking diuretics, also known as “water pills” to help his body expel the extra fluids.
Amar was not feeling well the night before, he was vomiting and told his parents that he had difficulty breathing. Amar started to panic. In this panic, Samija and Demir decided to rush his to Resurrection Hospital, where he was given fluids and came to. At 3AM, Amar got transferred from Resurrection Hospital to Lurie Children’s hospital. Amar’s neurologist wanted to run more tests. At Children’s, Amar went to another MRI, that got a close up picture of his brain. This is when Amar’s doctor determined that the “capsule” we saw earlier was not a capsule of CSF but a tumor. Our past was yet again our reality.

There is a specialist treatment facility in Texas called The Burzynski Clinic that costs an arm and a leg to get treatment plus we have to factor in travel and stay expenses. But the chances of him beating this monster are much greater than at home, in Chicago.  The consultation starts at $1,250, which is no problem for our family. The scary part comes afterwards. How do we pay for treatment? 
The first months down payment was around $50,000, this included the first months treatment with anti-neoplastons, additional oral medicines, placement of the port, and PET scans required prior to start of treatment.
 This facility is not covered by major insurance plans. How do we ensure our little Amar beats this if we can’t pay for the treatment?

This is why, we turn to you, please if you can donate, DONATE.  If you are unable to make donations supporting Ami's Fight, all we ask of you is to share. Spread the word and make it heard and known that Ami needs our help. The money we receive will be forwarded into my sisters checking account which will be drafted every month for treatment. Our sweet boy who thinks of everyone, who can constantly make you laugh and who has the energy of an energizer bunny needs you.


Here are some fun facts about Amar himself: 

-His favorite color is Red. 
-He has two siblings. One older brother, and one little sister. 
-He loves sports, especially  Basketball. Go BULLS!
-His goal when he grows up is to be an engineer. 
-Ami loves to crack jokes, and keep a smile on everyones face thats surrounding him. 
-He has the heart and loyalty of a lion.