Bako's Final Journey Home to Mali, Africa

It is difficult to believe that it was just a year ago that Bako accompanied my husband David and me to Gulf Shores to visit our daughter. He had never seen the ocean other than flying over it when he came to the United States in 2007!

My name is Bridget Bailey, and I met Bako while working in the Writing Center at Northwestern Michigan College. He knew very little English but was determined to pursue his dream of a career in medicine. He wanted to learn everything he could about healthcare so that he could ultimately take his skills back to Mali. I was impressed with his motivation and did everything I could to ensure his success. David and I gave him a home, and he became our second son!

Bako has achieved success in the United States. Since 2007, he has earned two degrees while working to support himself. In November 2018, Bako was working on a master's degree in public health when he learned he had cancer. Bako took this diagnosis in stride and got back to working as soon as he could, even while he underwent chemotherapy. He persevered, often working two different jobs while completing coursework. A year later he was cancer-free.

However, the cancer dragon returned, and a new battle began. In November 2021, we learned that Bako’s cancer had taken a serious turn for the worse. The Cancer Treatment Center of America shared that his cancer was not curable, but was manageable. Since January 2022, Bako, accompanied by David as his medical advocate, has traveled to Chicago biweekly from his home in northern Michigan to receive treatment and support. Even though he has fought relentlessly, his liver is now failing, and his days with us are limited.

We love Bako! At the same time, his family in Africa loves him, too and has missed him over the years. He has seen his mother only three times when she visited him in the United States. Additionally, Bako has not returned to Mali in over fifteen years. While he has appreciated and enjoyed his life in this country, David and I know how healing it will be for his soul to smell the familiar African air and be cared for by his community. We dream that he can return to Mali.

Due to Bako’s current condition, he cannot make the trip alone. Many people are helping behind the scenes to coordinate with the Malian Embassay and airlines to ensure his travel will happen as smoothly as possible without any problems due to his vulnerable state. Tonight, the biggest obstacle is financial. Bako must travel first class to ensure his comfort and David will need to travel with him. These tickets are $10,000 each due to time urgency, and David will need a return ticket in coach as well as resources to cover his expenses while in Mali administering the necessary medications to keep Bako comfortable.

The cost of this is beyond our means, so we humbly seek your support. It is important to us that Bako returns to the country he loves and is reunited with his family who loves and cherishes him.