Friar Ivo Markovic needs our help!

He’s helped us (humanity), and now it’s our time to help him.

If you personally know or know of Friar Ivo, you know about his tireless pursuit of peace in Bosnia. You also know his joyous and good-natured spirit, evident in his smile, laugh, and kindhearted presence.

In 2025, Friar Ivo received a cancer diagnosis: Melanoma. He started treatment at home in Bosnia, but the full course of treatment is cost-prohibitive.

As part of his treatment, he needs the following medications:

Yervoy (lipiliumab - 100 mg) - one dose estimated at 7,250€ ($8,493 USD)

Opdivo (nivolumab - 100 mg) - three doses estimated at 4,000€ each ($4,685 USD).

We are trying several avenues to help Friar Ivo access the medication he needs. But in the meantime, he needs to cover doctors' appointments, scans, and more. All funds received will go towards Ivo's care, whether that be obtaining the medication or addressing his medical needs as they surface throughout his treatment.

In the Bosnian war, Friar Ivo lost his family. He forgave the people responsible for their deaths. Ever since, Friar Ivo made it his life’s work to honor God and his Bosnian people by living out interfaith collaboration and forgiveness. He brought joyful interfaith sounds to life with the Pontanima choir in Bosnia, and they have traveled around the world to exhibit the magical and transformative nature of music. He continues to set an example of how to live a life of gratitude, faith, and peace, making frequent TV and radio appearances to counteract the nationalism that has recently gripped his native country. With his spirit of collaboration, Friar Ivo has been a partner to women and other marginalized voices in Bosnia and across the world in places like Turkey and Syria. He’s a lifelong peacebuilder, sharing deeply reflective ideas, both actionable and philosophical, with his communities.

You can listen to his Pontanima Choir and hear Ivo speak directly about his work below: https://youtu.be/LP2hUHmOALk?si=0zVs5jkWJO1LZHpm

It’s hard to put into words what Friar Ivo means to us personally. To know Friar Ivo is to be in awe of him. But to know Friar Ivo also makes us better people, more hopeful people, people who believe that goodness exists even amid heartache, conflict, and war.

Thank you for helping our friend.