Help 4-year-old Yousra get life saving treatment

My name is Kira Butler. This is the story of our dear friends’ 4-year-old niece, Yousra, who is facing a preventable death from Leukemia if she doesn’t get the medical care she needs. Ever since the US withdrawal, Yousra and her family have been stuck in Afghanistan, where the bone marrow transplant (BMT) she needs is not available. As a contract worker for American companies since 2013, Yoursra's father, Ahmad, should be eligible to take his family to the United States. However, they were unable to get out of the country during the initial departure of 2021 and are now stuck. Yousra’s next best option is to receive the BMT in Pakistan, where her parents have identified a hospital willing to provide the treatment. Please read her story and consider contributing with your prayers, your means, or by sharing Yousra’s story.

Our friends Mursal and Shah Shukoori (Yousra’s aunt and uncle) narrowly escaped Afghanistan with their lives in August of 2021. Mursal is a medical doctor and Shah is a journalist. When the Taliban took over, they destroyed Mursal’s entire medical practice with machine gun fire. Ultimately Mursal and Shah, along with their then 1-year-old son, narrowly escaped Afghanistan with their lives. Forced to leave behind every material aspect of the lives they had built in Afghanistan, they left to start over in the United States.

Mursal’s brother, Ahmad, and his wife, Sandra, were not quite so fortunate. Despite being a contract worker with two American companies from May 1st, 2013 until August 10th, 2021, when Kabul fell, Ahmad and his family were not able to escape Afghanistan. During the short window when some Afghans were able to leave the country, Sandra was 6 months pregnant. Since that time, departures from Afghanistan have all but stopped and there are presently thousands of US-affiliated individuals who would otherwise be eligible to leave the country but are now stuck in Afghanistan (see linked article below). Ahmad and his family are among this group.

Then, on November 30th, 2021, their daughter Yousra was diagnosed with leukemia. More specifically, Yousra has been diagnosed with Philadelphia (Ph) positive B cell Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). This is a type of blood cancer and Yousra needs a bone marrow transplant (BMT) to survive. Unfortunately, this type of treatment is not available in Afghanistan (see attached letter from Yousra’s doctor).

Unable to come to the US, the next best option is to receive the BMT in Pakistan. The family has identified and been in communication with a hospital, Shifa International Hospital, in Islamabad, Pakistan, which can perform the BMT for approximately 20,000 dollars. The donor for the bone marrow transplant will be Ahmad, Yousra’s father, or possibly her younger brother Aarween.

Money is in short supply for Ahmad and his family. Ever since the United States left Afghanistan, the companies Ahmad had worked for since 2013 naturally left as well. With the Taliban in power, it is nearly impossible for someone like Ahmad to find decent work in Afghanistan.

We hope to help Yousra get the Bone Marrow Transplant she needs in Pakistan. Please consider sharing Yousra’s story, or provide support with your means or your prayers.

Links:

https://www.npr.org/2022/07/06/1109965531/u-s-is-accused-of-a-double-standard-when-it-comes-to-afghan-and-ukrainian-refuge

Letter from Yousra's doctor: