Support For Hisham's Recovery

On Saturday, Nov 25th, 2023, Hisham — a 20 yr old junior at Brown University — and his childhood friends Kinnan and Tahseen were walking to Hisham's grandmother's house for dinner in Burlington, Vermont, when all three were shot in an unprovoked attack.

We are thankful that all three will survive this attack, and Hisham's friends are expected to make a full recovery. For Hisham, however, one of the bullets that struck him is lodged in his spine and has left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Hisham's first thoughts were for his friends, then for his parents who were thousands of miles away. He has demonstrated remarkable courage, resilience and fortitude - even a sense of humor - even as the reality of his paralysis sets in.

We, his family, believe that Hisham will change the world. He'll change the world through his spirit, his mind and his compassion for those much more vulnerable than himself, especially the thousands of dead in Gaza and many more struggling to survive the devastating humanitarian crisis unfolding there.

This fund is intended to help cover the costs associated with his recovery - the long and uncertain rehabilitation needs, as well as providing Hisham what he needs to enable him to change the world for the good, as we know he will.

These expenses include rehabilitation, but also on-going costs of his care and adaptive living needs. Though we anticipate some expenses being covered by insurance, there are vast financial needs that will not be. This fund is intended to address those needs. The family has received estimates of more than $1 million in the first year alone to cover anticipates costs associated with rehab, adaptive considerations, travel and more, and an estimate of more than $2.8 million over his lifetime (figures provided by Christopher Reeve Foundation and Kelly Brush Foundation).

The family is committed to his recovery and remain hopeful, in spite of the grave prognosis. If our prayers are answered and Hisham is able to recover in a way that he does not need the full amount raised, the family will create a foundation committed to supporting the most vulnerable members of his community who have not benefited from the humanizing media attention that has given Hisham this opportunity for recovery.

Your gift - however big or small - is a deeply meaningful act of solidarity with Hisham and echoes our belief that he WILL change the world for good.

Who is Hisham?

Hisham is a kind, gentle, brilliant young man with enormous potential and his whole life ahead of him. A Palestinian-Irish-American, he grew up in the West Bank and is a graduate of the Ramallah Friends School, a Quaker institution. He is pursuing a dual degree, studying math and archaeology at Brown. Hisham speaks seven languages, is a teacher assistant at Brown and is so dedicated to his studies that he has told his college professors he is determined to start the next semester “on time.” His professors and classmates eagerly await his return. Let's be part of making that a reality for him!

Possible hate crime

Hisham and his friends, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ahmad, all Palestinians who grew up together and attended the same Quaker school, were speaking Arabic and English, and wearing traditional Palestinian kiffeyah scarves, when they were approached by an unknown man who shot them with a handgun. Particularly given the ongoing violence in Gaza and the West Bank, the Burlington Police Department and FBI are investigating the attack as a possible hate crime.

In a cruelly ironic twist, Hisham's parents had recommended he not return home over winter break, suggesting he would be safer in the US with his grandmother. Burlington is a second home to Hisham, who has spent summers and happy holidays with his family there. It breaks our hearts that these young men did not find safety in his home away from home.

Your support can make all the difference to helping Hisham. It will help his parents Elizabeth and Ali, their daughter and other son to face the challenges that await them, cover medical bills, repeated flights and nurture hope for a brighter future for Hisham.

**We are aware of and endorse another fundraiser to support all three of the families affected by this senseless gun violence.

Hisham's family and friends are grateful for the outpouring of support, starting in Burlington, Vermont and extending to all corners of the globe, including of course his loving community in Ramallah and the West Bank, and to all those who ache at the thought that the logical conclusion of dehumanization is hate-fueled violence.

Hisham asks that if you want to learn more about supporting humanitarian efforts in his home country, visit Palestinian Children's Relief Fund.