Support Nerina's Fight Against Cancer

I met Nerina in Washington DC twenty years ago when we were both studying at the American University. It was a friendship that began over a shared front car seat in a 90s generation Ford Mustang, and also over discussions about international relations theory. Frankly, the car seat was far too small and she was far too large. Nevertheless, I decided to maintain our friendship. I have decided to set up this account to seek support for Nerina because she’s unable to work as a result of illness.

Nerina was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a small country near Europe that was ravaged by Serbians and the occasional Croatian in the early 1990s. At age 15, she had to leave her home and seek refuge in Italy and then Germany. These countries are also near Europe. Her father made the difficult choice to resettle the family to the United States, a country far from Europe without universal healthcare and with raccoons with rabies. She came to Grand Rapids, Michigan, which became her second home. Some people say Michigan is a state. Despite the difficult situation, she thrived, which partly explains the difficult car seat situation. She graduated from college and then was accepted at the American University in Washington, DC for a dual JD/MA in International Relations program. I remember that Nerina was the backbone of her family’s existence in the US. Her parents never spoke much English, mainly because they refused to study Shakespeare, so she was their connection to the new society. Even thousands of miles away, she was always on the phone with them, helping them with whatever she could, in addition to doing her difficult studies–working to make ends meet.

One of these jobs became her professional career. Because of her experience, and the fact that her cousin was a landmine survivor, she started working for an organization called Landmine Survivors Network in Washington, DC during law school, and she continued working there after she got her degree. She worked with survivors around the world, training them in advocacy and human rights, and helping them advocate for themselves. Nerina then worked with governments at the UN negotiating international treaties to make sure that the rights of victims of war were included and respected. Then the unthinkable happened–despite her status as a nefarious do-gooder.

While working in London for another victims’ rights organization, Nerina was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in 2012. She tried to continue working and did so successfully for a few years, but the toll of the illness was too much for her to bear. She has tried to earn income to help herself, as she was never one to ask for assistance, but over the course of the last twelve years the situation has worsened, and my friend lost all sources of income. She is now trying to survive on social security disability while having to pay for medical expenses. Most importantly, she is trying to keep her body strong and is fighting an illness that keeps coming back.

This is why I am seeking your support. Nerina wants to maximize her chances for survival, and to do that, she needs to make some significant changes to her life. I am hoping that through this initiative, we can together help Nerina make the most of her life and maximize her remaining potential. Fate has thrown many curves her way. I am hoping that together we can help support her ongoing fight.

Thank you.