Donation towards memorial for Maryam Ghafary

"inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon" (Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return)

During the holy night of Laylatul Qadr, we lost our beloved Maryam Ghafary in her battle against cancer and COVID-19. 11 years ago, Maryam was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and a grim prognosis of a 6- month survivorship. Her optimism, medical treatment, and communion with God empowered her to overcome this seemingly insurmountable course of ailment for the many additional years that we had the fortune of spending with her. Her cancer had recurred in 2017 and metastasized to her brain, liver, and lungs. In April of 2020, her preexisting health concerns were compounded when she was diagnosed with COVID-19 and placed on assisted ventilation until the day of her passing. Despite the harsh reality of her circumstance, Maryam realized that attitude was everything in fighting cancer. Through her own enduring of hardship and the grace of god, she possessed an unimaginable amount of cognitive empathy to care for the adversities of others and too help alleviate their sufferings. Her wonderfully luminous soul coupled with her kind, selfless nature, had inspired love in everyone around her. Maryam spent her life nurturing her children and in doing so educating and encouraging them to learn more about Islam and build bridges of understanding with people of all faiths. Her son (Shuaib Ghafary) would like to honor her beautiful existence by fulfilling her dream of establishing a continuous charity like a small mosque or well to continue benefiting others. With your help and generosity, regardless of how small the amount, we will be able to use this fund to create a meaningful act of charity to those in need either here or in her home, Afghanistan. We pray that Jannat Al-Firdaus will be her new home.

Medical History:

In 2009, Maryam was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and underwent chemotherapy for 1 year and a full cycle of radiation at Temple University Hospital. She underwent surgery to remove her ovaries and lymph nodes shortly after she found out the news of her cancer.

In 2013 her doctors found out that cancer had metastasized to the areas around her liver and her kidneys and was advised to undergo a cyberknife procedure. She underwent this intense procedure and resumed chemotherapy at Hahnemann University Hospital.

In 2017 cancer spread to her abdomen, which forced her to go back to Hahnemann University Hospital and undergo another major surgery. This surgery lasted 14 hours and the doctor also performed hot chemotherapy during the time of the surgery.

Since 2017 she was receiving a full cycle of Chemotherapy non-stop as well as radiation therapy.

In November of 2019, doctors at Jefferson University had informed Maryam that cancer she had been fighting all these years had spread to her brain. This prompted the doctors to again give her radiation therapy.

In January of 2020, Maryam contracted pneumonia due to her immune system being so compromised after years of battling cancer and relieving chemotherapy.

On April of 2020, she was admitted to the hospital for the final time. Doctors informed us that she had contracted Covid-19 and her pneumonia had returned. Her immune system had finally given up on her after 11 years and 3 months of fighting. That allowed her cancer to spread to her lungs, bones, and blood.