Inaaya's Courageous Fight Against Childhood Cancer

Inaaya Shariq is the most resilient girl we know, and we are truly awestruck by her courage and perseverance during any and all trials. Inaaya, our 15 year old niece, is currently undergoing intensive rehab following her 2nd leg surgery after her diagnosis of pediatric osteosarcoma. This was one of the most intensive, painful and difficult procedures to overcome as she now has to navigate life as an amputee and will need as much support as possible to help her navigate through the hardest period of her life.

In the fall of 2020, Inaaya was dealing with extreme leg pain that even her pediatrician couldn't diagnose until it worsened to the point where her entire femur snapped while waiting to be seen at her doctor’s office. This was the start of the most painful battle of Inaaya’s life. She has undergone countless sessions of chemotherapy since 2020 in an effort to reduce the tumor that had begun to grow on her thigh bone and went on receive a femur replacement in an effort to remove the cancerous tumor. Sadly, the cancer has returned 2 years later and has spread to a more risky and complicated location that would require a total amputation of her limb. Through it all, she has remained steadfast in her faith, and has the most cheerful and positive outlook on life that even we, the adults in her life, take inspiration from. She is still an absolute joy to be around, and even while at the hospital post-surgery, she tries to uplift and joke with those around her.

Inaaya is currently under the care of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, who are experts in this rare case. Her family had to leave her 11 year old brother in the care of his grandparents back home in Illinois and uproot their lives to give Inaaya the best chance of rehabilitation and surgical outcome.

We are now raising money to support our beloved niece, sister, Nida Shariq and brother-in-law, Shariq Shah, in the biggest challenge of their life as we all know how expensive medical treatments and rehabilitation has gotten, especially as most higher-end procedures are barely covered through insurance. Her future prosthetics itself will cost upwards of 80k as well all the additional physiotherapy that will be necessary to increase her quality of life and independence.

For transparency, we wanted to include a breakdown of all the associated costs. This money will go solely towards Inaaya’s healthcare expenses, including:

Leg prosthetic, 80k

Renovations to the home for accessibility, including a home lift, around 50k

Cancer Preventative Treatment with Cleveland Clinic, around $30k

Other therapies not covered by insurance, 30k

As this is the second time that they have been hit with the cancer reoccurrence, the financial strain is much heavier. The total approximate cost is around 200k.

We would greatly appreciate all donations to assist them in their battle against osteosarcoma. We are so thankful for the generosity and support received! And above all else, please keep the Shah family in your prayers.

Please feel free to reach out to us for any additional questions.