In spite of the best efforts of millions of loving people all over the world, it is an impossible undertaking to find good homes for all of the children who are in foster care around the world.
Simply put, finding a foster family for a child is a difficult and lengthy process, and more young boys and girls enter the system every week. Sometimes they have no relatives to turn to because their parents have passed away. However, more often than not, their parents are incapable of raising them, and as a result, for months or even years at a time, they may be without a secure, loving home.
Although the process of finding homes for foster children is also arduous and can be very heartbreaking, the process of finding homes for children who are terminally ill is significantly more challenging than that.
Yes, you read that right.
You might not have ever considered the notion that there are terminally sick children who do not have a family that loves them. But they do exist, and it goes without saying that they are every bit as deserving of warmth and care as anyone else.
In Azuza, California lives a guy named Mohamed Bzeek, who is 62 years old and has devoted his life to making a positive change in the lives of less fortunate children.
According to the information that has been gathered, he first started fostering children in the year 1989. A tragedy that befell the couple in 1991, when one of their foster children passed away, caused them to develop a new perspective on the procedure and led them to realize that fostering was their true calling.
Since that time, Mohamed has dedicated the majority of his time and energy to providing foster care for children who are either seriously ill or towards the end of their lives.
According to Mohamed, “The key is, you have to love them like your own.”
“I know they are sick. I know they are going to die. I do my best as a human being and leave the rest to God.”
They simply couldn’t take the notion of children going without the love and warmth that a parental figure offers, especially not in their final few months of life.
Since their divorce in 2013, Mohamed has persisted in his charitable work and is giving his utmost to make a positive impact on the lives of foster children in the state of California.
According to the information provided by the sources, the 62-year-old had buried ten children. Even their final moments were spent in the comfort of his loving arms. He says that he has been a caregiver for a total of 80 children.
He said, “The only house that accepts orphans and children who are about to die in Los Angeles is my house. I have dealt with 80 children since 1989. Ten children lost their lives in my arms.”
Mohamed is currently devoting his time to caring for a 6-year-old girl who suffers from a severe brain disease that has left her unable to see, hear, or move her arms or legs. The condition has rendered her completely helpless. As a result of her condition, she needs care 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Mohamed explained, “I know she can’t hear, can’t see, but I always talk to her. I’m always holding her, playing with her, touching her. … She has feelings. She has a soul. She’s a human being.”
When the daughter was just two years old, doctors came to the conclusion that there was nothing further that could be done to save her life from a medical aspect. However, because Mohamed took such good care of her, she is still alive and putting up a fight four years later.
In an interview from the previous year, Mohamed stated, “In the hospital, they give birth, they leave them. Their families don’t name them. It comes on the paper: ‘Baby boy,’ ‘Baby girl.’ I name them. I give them names.”
Caregiving for children who are nearing the end of their lives has taken its toll on Mohamed, a former immigrant from Libya who moved to the United States 40 years ago to pursue studies in electrical engineering.
He said, “I know it’s heartbreak. I know it’s a lot of work and I know it’s going to hurt me sometimes. You know, I feel sad. But, in my opinion, we should help each other, you know?”
The accomplishments of this man moved me to tears when I read about them. I am grateful to you, Mohamed, for everything you have done and everything you continue to do. You are the epitome of a hero.