HELP OMAR BATTLE CANCER

Omar Alhelwani is 27 years-old, lives with his mother, a single parent,  Karen Alhelwani (nee Talkington). Omar,  her only child,  graduated with his  degree and was in the process of looking for employment  working with computers.  

His mother is a Certified Nursing Assistant. They are living frugally in a one bedroom apartment, when Omar began to have trouble swallowing in June of 2016.  He thought it was stress from his grandfather's death until it got worse in December.  By Febuary, he had lost 10 pounds and had and endoscopy which revealed a malignant neoplasm in his esophagus.  Further tests revealed a 4 1/2 in. tumor at the junction of his esophagus and stomach with cancerous lymph nodes.



He is just getting ready to start treatment around the first day of spring.  He met with his esophageal and stomach surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL, who plan to operate after he has his chemo and radiation treatment which he will get in Champaign, IL.  The surgeons are optomistic that they will be operating in the summer. They will cut out part of his esophagus and stomach and stitch the two together, during which time he will most likely have a feeding tube.




The funds are needed now and in the distant furture, because the surgeons say it will take a year at best to recover.















The funds will pay for medical costs.  Being 27,  he is no longer covered on his Mother's insurance.  They will cover things his insurance won't,  such as freezing sperm.  They will cover travel costs and and his Mother's hotel expences for two weeks while he is in the hospital.  They will cover his Mother's loss of pay during critical stages of his care such as recovering from surgery.  They will pay for moving expenses to a two bedroom apartment, so his bed will no longer be in the front room of an efficiency apartment.

His status is urgent because treatment starts so soon.  He needs to pay for freezing his sperm and for his special diet foods now, during, and after treatment.  All prayers and donations are extremely important for recovery and appreciated more than words can express.