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Help Assama Fight Sickle Cell

UPDATE:
This fundraiser started two years ago and the donations from that effort help Assama make it through now. Assama is back in the hospital with the worse crisis of his life. He once again needs financial support. His family can't help him, all he has is us! Please consider donating today, Assama and I would greatly appreciate it.

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Our good friend and humble soul, Assama Ketegou, has fallen on tough times. He is fighting an uphill battle with health challenges from sickle cell anemia, a disease he has lived with for his entire life.  The money raised here will go to support Assama with medical expenses, food and transportation costs, and with finding a home closer to the city. 

Recently, Assama has developed significant complications as a result of sickle cell. In addition to excruciating pain crises, Assama now has avascular necrosis in his shoulder and both hips - and now relies on walking assistance from a cane or walker. He also has potential lung damage. Assama is unable to work due to his illness, and transportation costs,  as well as the physical challenges of his limited mobility, are a huge burden. He needs to see his specific doctors who know how to best manage his care.

Assama has had a hard time finding stable housing in NYC, and he needs to stay in Manhattan because hematologists and orthopedic surgeon are at Mount Sinai and NewYork-Presbyterian in the city.

If you don't know Assama, let me tell you about him. Assama knows what it is like to feel the weight of ten worlds on his shoulders. He balances his roles in each of them well: a son, a brother, a student, an advocate, a one-day medical professional, a friend, a smiling face in the street, a quiet listener when everything else seems too loud, a guardian, and a responsible optimist. Assama carries the burdens that each of these roles entail, and even when his knees are buckling from the pressure, even if he can no longer withstand the weight, even if he falls and everything seems to crumble over him—he still gets back up. And when he does, he will bring you with him. That is his nature.

His long term goal is to work in medicine and science to improving treatment for sickle cell disease. He is inspired by his challenges to help develop more comprehensive support systems for sickle cell patients that include medical, social, and economic resources. 

Please help him get healthy and settled for the holidays. He does not have family support, and so support from friends is so so important.
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Donations 

  • Jacob Hill
    • $150 
    • 4 yrs
Donate

Organizer

Mia Lin
Organizer
Bay Shore, NY

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