Jamal Royce (Foster) Abdur Salaam

UPDATE: Funeral within the next 72 hours but the fundraiser will continue in hopes to offset the cost of said items in the letter below;

The family of Jamal Abdur Salaam would like to formally announce a critical update on Jamal’s health.

Mr. Abdur Salaam has for several decades been a prominent and impactful force in the community and is well known for his commitments as a community leader, educator, administrator, coach, and advocate for youth in Minnesota. Jamal has worked to improve interventions for youth in schools that have barriers to thriving in academic settings. Jamal has used drumming, music, amongst other things as vehicles to improve the self confidence, belonging, and teamwork of youth. Jamal seemed to have a knack for reaching the students with the most unique challenges. Jamal has facilitated and led initiatives that have transformed approaches used by educational institutions and coached many educational leaders and administrators to deepen their impacts in schools. Jamal, along with his wife Tonicia have done national and global consultations, developed curriculums, and even founded a school. Jamal, is also a devoted family man; son, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. His mission during his career has been to “touch the spirit” of children in hopes to unlock their brilliance as scholars.

For the last couple of years Jamal had been battling a severe and rare illness that has become terminal. His condition is called Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that most commonly causes extreme muscle stiffness and painful often excruciating spasms. SPS is among the rarest of diseases, affecting fewer than 5,000 people in the United States, with Jamal battling an even more rare strand of SPS.

According to MedicineNet, individuals diagnosed with stiff person syndrome can live between 6 to 28 years from the onset of symptoms before succumbing to the condition. While there is currently no cure for SPS, several treatments aim to manage symptoms or slow down the progression of the disorder and many interventions are experimental. People who have stiff person syndrome experience alternating rigidity and spasm in their muscles. Muscles can be so rigid that they feel like a board. And the muscle spasms, which are extremely painful and can be triggered by stress or other external factors, can create enough force to break bones.

Sadly for the many who have been touched by Jamal’s presence, life work of education, youth development, and community engagement- Jamal’s family shares the difficult news of his passing. Jamal Abdur Salaam died peacefully and intimately, surrounded by loved ones. This transition has been a long, hard fight that has included many overnight hospital stays, experimental treatments and medications, support groups, lifestyle changes, work accommodations, family interventions, hospice treatment, and much uncertainty. Suffice it to say Jamal has gone through this painful journey with his family at every corner. Jamal requested family, friends, and loved ones to support his family and walk alongside them- he fought to be back to do the work of his calling in service to youth, his main focus in life. Although his life has sadly come to a close, the residual impact of his presence and dedication has created a movement in education and youth development that has multiplied!

The family of Jamal Abdur Salaam invites visitors and loved ones to pay respect to Jamal through their own tributes. He is a devoted Muslim and his convictions are a source of solace for him. The financial burdens of fighting this excruciating ailment have been equally impactful as this rare illness is. This life altering illness leaves Jamal’s family with gaping holes; financial, mental/emotional and community support are all welcome. You are invited to contribute anything that you can, both large and small, one-time or on-going to assist the Abdur Salaam family- to be able to celebrate Jamal’s life properly to the scale of his impact, to recover from all of the efforts to extend his life, and recover from the financial burdens from many experimental interventions.

Thank you for your support!

The family of Jamal Abdur Salaam