My name is Shawnte’ Muhammad, and I’m asking for help for my brother, Rashaad Muhammad.

What happened to my brother is something no family should ever have to experience.

Rashaad was wrongly arrested by the Atlanta Police Department, and from the very beginning, he told the officer that he needed his medication that was left in his car. When he was taken to Fulton County Jail, he continued to tell the medical staff that he needed his antibiotics.

For 11 days, he was ignored.

For 11 days, Fulton County neglected him and failed to give him the medication and care he begged for and desperately needed.

That neglect cost my brother everything.

He went into septic shock, fell into a coma, and when he woke up, our lives were forever changed. My brother’s legs and hands were decayed, and soon, he lost both of his legs below the knee and all his fingers.

We didn’t just almost lose him — we lost the life he once knew.

Rashaad’s charges were dropped completely a few months later – so it feels like these horrible things happened when he shouldn’t have been in jail in the first place.

Now Rashaad is fighting every single day to rebuild. He needs prosthetic legs just to walk again, and pre-prosthetic physical therapy to even begin that process. He also needs prosthetic fingers to regain basic use of his hands — but insurance will not cover them, and they cost around $15,000 per finger.

On top of the physical loss, he is suffering deep emotional trauma from everything he endured, and he needs ongoing mental health treatment to heal.

We also need to make his home wheelchair accessible with ramps and necessary modifications so he can safely move around and regain some independence. He also needs reliable transportation to get to doctor appointments, therapy, and ongoing care.

This is overwhelming for our family, but we are standing strong for him.

I’m asking you, from the bottom of my heart, please help my brother. Whether you can donate or simply share his story, it truly makes a difference. Every prayer, every share, every dollar brings him one step closer to healing and rebuilding his life.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for supporting my brother during the hardest time of his life.

-Shawnte’ Muhammad