When Aminah was four years old, she had been complaining of a stomach ache. Aminah’s mother, Maryam, didn’t think much of it because Aminah appeared to be fine. Maryam thought that Aminah might be constipated and suggested that she try to use the bathroom. When she noticed that Aminah had blood in her urine, she knew that something wasn’t right and immediately rushed her to a local emergency room.

At the hospital, the doctors noticed Aminah’s stomach was very much distended. They insisted that Aminah needed an X-Ray and an ultrasound. After running a few tests, the doctors diagnosed Aminah with Stage 4 Wilms tumor. A Wilms tumor, also known as a nephroblastoma, is a type of cancer that starts in the kidneys.

The local hospital couldn’t attend to Aminah’s condition. So, she was referred to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago to begin her treatment. Aminah received immediate surgery to remove the tumor from her kidney and she is currently receiving many rounds of chemotherapy. With the constant traveling and hefty hospital fees, Aminah’s family couldn’t keep up with all the expenses. Feeling like they needed some assistance, their social worker referred them to Compass to Care.

“Due to a small income, it is extremely hard for me to locate the extra funds to make it to Aminah’s appointments,” said Maryam. “Without the help of Compass to Care, we would have never been able to afford to get her to treatment. Compass to Care is just as much a part of saving my daughter’s life as the phenomenal team of doctors who treat her.”