Support Jamil's Family: A Year of Stability

“One light feeds another. One strong family lends strength to more. One engaged community can ignite those around it. This is the power of the light we carry.”

-Michelle Obama

The Request:

Jamil is a neurodivergent, non-verbal, wheelchair-bound young man with cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, and a developmental delay, from the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Upon Jamil’s arrival to the United States, he faced a critical medical emergency–a severe lung infection requiring a two-month stay in the intensive care unit. Jamil has since recovered from the infection but now depends on an artificial airway to breathe, further complicating his medical needs. Access to advanced and consistent healthcare has been critical to his survival. Thankfully Jamil has secured health insurance effective January 2025. Jamil’s mother is unable to work as she provides the full-time care essential to Jamil’s day-to-day survival and as a result Jamil, his teenage sister and mother are at risk of losing their apartment.

We are seeking financial contributions to cover their rent for one year with any remaining donations to assist in the costs of Jamil’s medical needs (medications, copays, medical equipment and wheel-chair accessible transportation are other high priority needs).

To cover rent for a year we will need to raise at least $18,000.

Jamil, his mother and teenage sister continue to demonstrate courage, resilience, perseverance, generosity, and hope. Please help us gather community support for this courageous family of three so Jamil can receive proper medical treatment and they can be assured the basic human rights to health and safety that they are unable to obtain in their home country.

Please consider donating if you are able.

The Background:

Despite Jamil’s mother’s best efforts, the medical care available to Jamil in his war-torn country is insufficient to manage his evolving condition. There is a lack of necessary medication, specialists, and healthcare infrastructure to treat his condition appropriately, and without proper treatment his condition will worsen if he were to return. The situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is exacerbated by the ongoing war and its impact on accessible healthcare, economic instability and public health services, which make it impossible for Jamil to receive the care he requires.

Who is raising funds?

Andrea Castro Love was born and raised in Colorado and has over a decade of experience as a Registered Nurse. Andrea is passionate about community health, advancing health equity, and providing compassionate, culturally competent, patient-centered care, with emphasis on empathy, advocacy and kindness. She views being a nurse as a life-long journey that comes with the commitment and responsibility to serve our community, stand-up for our most vulnerable patient populations, and use a forward thinking, upstreamist approach to drive positive change within our society.

Kyra deGruy Kennedy is the Director of Co-Thrive and has been working in policy change and progressive organizing in Colorado for over a decade. She deeply believes in the power of community and our ability (and the pressing need) to come together for systemic change. The funds (minus the fees taken by GoFundMe) will be deposited into Kyra’s account and transferred directly to Jamil’s mother.