Powerful Patient

Update 10-13

Ferhat died Sunday night. He was not in pain, he simply stopped breathing. He had struggled long and hard to live with all the challenges life had thrown in his path. And now he is at rest.

In April he decided to come to the U.S. for one last try to see if this very large tumor could be removed. The surgeon thought it was slow-growing and that we would have time to get the visa and bring him over. But the visa took months longer than anticipated, and the slow-growing tumor continued its inexorable growth, and we simply ran out of time.

In the end he was glad he had tried, glad to be with his daughter and son, glad to be surrounded with the love of his wife and all his children, some in Boston and some in Algeria. The potential risks of the surgery were now simply too great -- the deficits predicted were too great to offer him any reasonable quality of life.

And now his spirit is free -- he can see again, and is free of pain and of the body that was no longer serving him well. His family and friends will miss him very much. They treasure their happy memories of him, and they rejoice in his new-found freedom.

There is a prayer service at a nearby mosque tomorrow, and there will be a burial service in Algeria when he returns there later this month.

Thank you again for helping him try.

Your help is still needed! Our patient arrives September 13 for brain surgery in early October. We have raised the money to cover airfare for him and his son, and volunteers have agreed to house them during their quarantine period in Boston. They will fly to Bethesda October 4 to check in to the hospital. Your help is still needed!

Brain surgery needed, organized by Joyce Graff Want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money to help The Powerful Patient Inc, bring th… Joyce Graff needs your support for Brain surgery needed

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