Abdallah’s Story

Site created on September 25, 2023


We learned the week of 7/17/23 that Abdallah’s, age 39, sarcoma cancer returned and has spread throughout his body at an unfathomable rate and is in his lungs, soft tissues, bone marrow, and spinal cord in just 30 days since his last scan. This makes his prognosis very poor, and we suspect he will be out of work for significant time. 


This isn’t the couple’s first round with cancer and tragedy, as Shauna, his wife, was diagnosed a month before their 2021 wedding with breast cancer when she was only 32 years old. The week after their honeymoon, Abdallah was diagnosed with sarcoma cancer. Both had intensive treatments and recoveries with chemo, radiation, surgery, and significant time out of work. These two had the most messed up newlywed phase of life but held positive attitudes throughout their battles. As if cancer wasn’t enough, the couple was forced to utilize IVF to secure the possibility of becoming parents one day due to their health struggles. The couple went through 4 total rounds of IVF totaling over $100,000 with no insurance coverage. The couple is still working to overcome this massive financial hardship. They were over the moon to learn right before their second wedding anniversary that they are expecting a baby girl due in January 2024.


The recent news of Abdallah’s reoccurrence has shocked, paralyzed, and sent the couple and their families into despair. Abdallah, an expert in cancer, is not optimistic that he will be alive to welcome their baby in January, and his doctors agree that making it 1-2 years would be a best, but rare case. If anyone knows Shauna and Abdallah, they have a one-of-a-kind love that they spread and share with everyone around them through their generosity, kindness, humor, honesty, and vivaciousness. They are people that show up for you whenever you need, and that is what I hope this fundraiser will be for us to them. They have lived through so much hardship and burden, and now face the ultimate burden of a terminal cancer diagnosis. Because of the short time frame between their wedding and his cancer diagnosis, Abdallah couldn’t secure a life insurance policy that would support Shauna and their baby in the event of his passing. He is the primary financial provider for their family. I hope that this fundraiser can be a way for us to show support and give back to Shauna and Abdallah in the way they live their lives for us in the community. The two of them have touched and given so much healing to people suffering in the oncology and mental health fields. 

Shauna, his wife, will start providing updates here, instead of their gofundme. 
Original updates and story at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-ericksonabou-zahrs?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_cp_guide_do&member=28218353


Benefit account at Gate City Bank in Fargo, ND under Abou Zahr Family benefit

Newest Update

March 29, 2024

Journal entry by Shauna Erickson —

Greetings Team Abou Zahr!

We hope our update finds you well. We continue to ride the incurable cancer rollercoaster, but fortunately as of late have had a bit of stride to the ride. First, Abdallah had an MRI two weeks ago which showed all of his spinal masses smaller or stable in side- major victory. Unfortunately today his lab work for that CK muscle enzyme came back significantly out of range (again re: a couple cycles ago). The hope is that we can delay chemotherapy to 4/8 instead of 4/1 as planned. As I have previously mentioned, this is scary to have to do, but we need prioritize giving that lab time to stabilizing due to the dangerous side effects. If your family is praying, we will take some for that. This means that 4/8 will be a big day for our family as Abdallah will (hopefully) have chemo, baby Nadia will start daycare, and I will return to work. Lets just say I won't be wearing any mascara that day in anticipation of the adjustment tears. 

Abdallah continues to be the exact parent I knew he would be- calm, unphased by loud baby times, and patient with the intense new mom. He just the best. We did something insane, and flew to Florida with 10 week old Nadia last week. A friend accurately said- that is a trip, not a vacation, and she couldn't have been more correct. Luckily my hair is already grey with the planning of and actually flying with an infant, but we had a lovely time staying by the sea with my family. As I have mentioned before, I love watching Abdallah by the ocean because he has this perma smile on his face as he soaks in the sun and the salt air. For those of you that didn't know, Abdallah didn't know how to swim until he took swimming lessons in 2022-2023, so on this trip he got to swim in the pool and wade into the ocean which was new for someone with a water phobia as significant has his once was. So proud of him. 

Thank you for continuing to follow Abdallah's journey in living with metastatic sarcoma. It is hard to believe its been 9 months since we knew about the recurrence. I keep telling him he has to give me at least 10 more years together (of course I never reduce any time from that)... he flashes me his beautiful smile every time. 

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