Help Leo's Heart Beat Strong Again

Dear community, family, and friends,

We're reaching out to you today with heavy hearts, seeking your support for our beloved nephew, Leonardo Rahmani. Only a couple of months ago, Leo was admitted to Sick Kids Hospital for what we thought was a nasty cold. Instead, Leo was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, also known as heart failure, a devastating condition that has turned our family's world upside down.

For the last two months, Leo has been receiving treatment at Sick Kids Hospital. There was some hope of getting him on the Heart Transplant List, but after assessments made by the head of Pediatric Heart Transplant, Leo was not deemed eligible due to his underlying condition and cardiac status.

Leo has been living with an underlying skin condition by the name of “Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma,” a rare benign form of skin cancer that his doctors were closely monitoring for years. He was no stranger to doctor’s and hospital visits, and frequent biopsies, which is one of the reasons we are shocked that this heart condition was not detected earlier.

Due to this underlying condition, and his physical baseline, doctors at Sick Kids have sent Leo home with no long-term treatment options. We refuse to believe that nothing further can be done to save this 10-year-old boy’s life.

Leo has the nickname of "sweet boy" in our family because of his nature; he is a vibrant, kind, loving, and incredibly wise young boy - mature beyond his years.

He is the only child to his parents January and Tamim, who have given Leo an incredible life, full of opportunities and extra curriculars. Despite facing numerous challenges due to his health condition growing up, Leo never let that stop him from putting himself out there; he played hockey on a regional team, kept up with his peers on the playground, and was adventurous as ever. Leo is a huge foodie, with a love of sushi, grandpa's spicy food, and grandma's mantu dumplings. Since Leo could talk, he has known more about cars than anyone else I know. He has dreams of becoming an engineer someday. Leo deserves the chance to live out his dreams.

Unfortunately, due to Sick Kids’ refusal to entertain further treatments and opportunities for care, the family is considering a transfer of care to The Texas Children's Hospital in Dallas, Boston Children’s Hospital or potentially another hospital where there may be an opportunity to receive some kind of treatment. The costs of out of country hospital stays, medications, surgeries, and ongoing care are not always covered by OHIP. Texas has let us know heart transplants can cost up to $1million USD. Both of Leo’s parents have had to take time off work to care for him at home full-time so as we navigate this difficult journey we are humbly asking for your help to ensure Leo receives the best possible care and treatment he deserves.

Your generous contributions will go directly towards Leo's medical expenses, rehabilitation, and necessary support services, such as travel and accommodation. Every donation, no matter how small, will make a meaningful difference in Leo's life and bring us one step closer to ensuring his heart beats strong again.

Please join us in rallying around Leo, January, and Tamim during this challenging time. 

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your kindness, compassion, and support. Let's come together as a community and show Leo that he is not alone in this fight.

With heartfelt gratitude, Leo’s Aunts and Uncles