Aziz's Cancer Battle: Family Needs Your Help

Hey everyone ! My name is Outman and I’m fundraising for my younger brother, Aziz Aboubakr, who was recently diagnosed with stage 2 non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma.

He’s only 22. What started as a simple septoplasty back in May just to help him breathe better, turned into something none of us saw coming. Doctors found abnormal tissue during the procedure, and after sending it out for testing, we got the news no family ever wants to hear…cancer.

Aziz is now receiving treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering, and he’s currently on the first of four chemotherapy cycles. It’s been physically and emotionally heavy but he’s handling it the way he always does: with quiet strength, focus, and more patience than most people twice his age.

Our parents came to this country from Morocco to give Aziz and I a shot at something better. My dad works for Pizza Masters and My mom works at the Marriott. They’ve always done everything they could for us, and we’ve always gotten by with what we had. We’ve never been the type to ask for help.

But this journey is different.

There are so many expenses that stack up quickly even with insurance. Transportation to and from the hospital, prescriptions, medications that aren’t fully covered, and the time our parents and I have to take off work to be with Aziz through treatment, it all adds up faster than we imagined. We’re not asking for anything more than what anyone feels moved to give but any help would lift some weight off our family’s shoulders while we focus on helping Aziz heal.

Aziz and I grew up like most siblings. We fought constantly, but we were always thick as thieves. He’s not just my little brother, he’s my best friend. He’s the one person who knows exactly how I’m feeling without me having to say a word. This hasn’t been easy on him, but if you know Aziz, you know he’s tough, even if he doesn’t show it. He’s still cracking jokes and brushing it off like it’s nothing, but I know how hard this has been on him.

This is me stepping out of my comfort zone and putting our story out there not for sympathy, but in the hope that if anyone is in a position to help, they might. And if you can’t donate, just sharing this means more than you know.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for standing with Aziz, and for standing with us. We love you.

— The Aboubakr Family