Tariq's Second Chance at a Future

Tariq was diagnosed with T-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia just after football season of his senior year of high school.  In the span of two weeks, he lost 50 pounds and all of his college football scholarship offers.

“It didn’t immediately kick in what was really going on. I was only 17 - cancer was the last thing on my mind. I looked in the mirror one day and it hit me. I didn’t have hair. I was skinnier than I’d ever been. It was dramatic. It hit my mom way harder than me. Even to this day because I’m her only child.”

He stayed positive through treatment. His friends gave him a lot of support. His low point was not being able to play in the “Boomer Game.” It had always been a goal of his to be invited to play with the best players in the five boroughs – this year he was invited, but he couldn’t play. Overall, he still managed to find the good: “It structured my mental game and made me so strong.”

He was scared when his doctor told him he qualified for a wish; like many others, he thought wishes were for kids with a terminal illness. Once he knew that a wish was there to help him fight through his critical illness, he began to dream about what that wish could be. At first, he thought of wishing for a New Orleans food tour or a trip to Africa. His dream of college was fading until a Buffalo State football coach saw Tariq in a recruiting film and believed he could still perform at a high level. Buffalo State is a Division III school, which doesn’t give financial scholarships to athletes, so Tariq wished for tuition assistance to fulfill his college dream. 

“Honestly my favorite part about Buffalo State is the diversity. Being from Brooklyn, most of my friends look like me, but here it’s more of a mixture of people - more nationalities, more personalities. It’s been a great experience for me seeing how different people live, gaining different perspectives.” 

Today Tariq is 100% cancer free, enjoying college, public speaking and giving back. After being sick and doing what the doctors (and his mom!) told him to do to get better, Tariq is now free to make his own choices. He has chosen to pursue Communications with a minor in Coaching.  But he also learned that more independence means more responsibility! Tariq’s advice: “Always go with YOU. Not everybody around you is feeling what your feeling, they’re not taking the medicines you’re taking, everything they’re saying is opinion, but YOU know how you’re feeling.”