Dr. Jay Akbarzadeh
Donation protected
Many of you may have had the privilege of getting to know Dr. Jay. Whether it was through college, medical school, residency, the hospital or life-long friendships— he provided those he met a glimpse into the highest virtues and most noble characters of humanity. For those who did not have the honor to meet him, this is his story.
In 2015, in his final year of medical school after matching into Internal Medicine residency, Jay identified a small lump on his abdomen that, in an unfortunate twist of events, turned to be Ewing Sarcoma. Despite its small size, this tumor came with an aggressive profile and was treated accordingly. Jay underwent 14-rounds of cytotoxic chemotherapy and surgical resection-- during which he was re-interviewing for residency positions (the position he originally was accepted him, denied to hold his position). Following successful therapy for this cancer he initiated his journey into residency at Good Samaritan Hospital in Oregon where he gained life-long friends and colleagues.
On the eve of graduating from residency, Dr. Jay was diagnosed with leukemia related to the aggressive chemotherapy he had received for his Sarcoma nearly 5-years ago. Despite knowing the poor genetic profile of his leukemia and low chance of survival, Dr. Jay fought on for his family and friends. He did this knowing the challenges—having undergone nearly a year of chemotherapy in the past. Unfortunately, he failed to respond to conventional therapy at Stanford and was transferred to City of Hope Research Hospital for numerous clinical trials.
He endured continuous infusions of chemotherapy, immuno-therapy, total body radiation, bone marrow transplant, immuno-suppression and repeat chemotherapy with unfortunately no remission. His body endured pain in ways that cannot be anchored to words—yet to the last moment when asked how he was doing, he would say: Thank God, I can’t complain. On his last days with us, he was found apologizing to his parents for the pain of witnessing the suffrage he endured in his final months. His virtues cannot be described with words, and every person that met him- fell in love with his character. Being surrounded by family and friends from around the world in his final moments—along with nursing staff (that were off-shift but had fell in-love with this beautiful soul) is a testament to the life he lived.
In his honor, his family and friends have vowed to establish a health-clinic to serve the underprivileged and those financially ostracized by the healthcare system. This is a cause that was not only dear to him but one that fueled his drive into medical practice.
In 2015, in his final year of medical school after matching into Internal Medicine residency, Jay identified a small lump on his abdomen that, in an unfortunate twist of events, turned to be Ewing Sarcoma. Despite its small size, this tumor came with an aggressive profile and was treated accordingly. Jay underwent 14-rounds of cytotoxic chemotherapy and surgical resection-- during which he was re-interviewing for residency positions (the position he originally was accepted him, denied to hold his position). Following successful therapy for this cancer he initiated his journey into residency at Good Samaritan Hospital in Oregon where he gained life-long friends and colleagues.
On the eve of graduating from residency, Dr. Jay was diagnosed with leukemia related to the aggressive chemotherapy he had received for his Sarcoma nearly 5-years ago. Despite knowing the poor genetic profile of his leukemia and low chance of survival, Dr. Jay fought on for his family and friends. He did this knowing the challenges—having undergone nearly a year of chemotherapy in the past. Unfortunately, he failed to respond to conventional therapy at Stanford and was transferred to City of Hope Research Hospital for numerous clinical trials.
He endured continuous infusions of chemotherapy, immuno-therapy, total body radiation, bone marrow transplant, immuno-suppression and repeat chemotherapy with unfortunately no remission. His body endured pain in ways that cannot be anchored to words—yet to the last moment when asked how he was doing, he would say: Thank God, I can’t complain. On his last days with us, he was found apologizing to his parents for the pain of witnessing the suffrage he endured in his final months. His virtues cannot be described with words, and every person that met him- fell in love with his character. Being surrounded by family and friends from around the world in his final moments—along with nursing staff (that were off-shift but had fell in-love with this beautiful soul) is a testament to the life he lived.
In his honor, his family and friends have vowed to establish a health-clinic to serve the underprivileged and those financially ostracized by the healthcare system. This is a cause that was not only dear to him but one that fueled his drive into medical practice.
Organizer and beneficiary
Marcus Alderman
Organizer
Corvallis, OR
Sadaf Akbarzadeh
Beneficiary