American Family Appeals for Funds as Son Falls Ill While Holidaying in Kenya

An American family is appealing for financial assistance after their son fell ill while holidaying in Kenya.

The family wants to airlift their son Zakariya Hassan, who is battling a severe case of Meningitis, to the US for treatment.

The 11-year-old 5th-grade learner at Northrop Elementary School got ill alongside his elder sister Deeqa and Mohammed.

Unfortunately, Mohamed who was 16 years old died of severe meningitis on June 30th and was buried in Nairobi. The family lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and had flown to Kenya for a vacation.

"Zakariya is currently fighting for his life at a hospital with the same grim prognosis as his older brother Mohamed. Zakariya is not getting proper medical treatment in Nairobi, Kenya.”

"The most painful thing for any parent is to bury your own child. We would like to get urgent medical evacuation for Zakariya to come back to Minneapolis for him to receive proper medical treatment and increase his survival rate," the family says.

They are seeking to raise $250,000 to fly Zakariya back to Minneapolis for specialized treatment.

As of Tuesday, nearly $58,000 had been raised through GoFundMe (https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-zakariya-come-back-to-his-family).