Destitute and with no promise of future funding from his family, Hazim Ismail turned to fundraising page GoFundMe so he could continue his studies in psychology at the University of Winnipeg, and maintain his immigration status in Canada.
Hazim was financially supported by his mother until late last year when she found pictures of him and his friends at a gay bar in Winnipeg.
In her outrage, she pulled his funding, leaving Hazim to fend for himself in a foreign land.
With nowhere else to turn, Hazim, who also suffers from a borderline personality disorder, appealed to online followers of GoFundMe in November, in a desperate bid to raise enough money to pay for his winter semester in 2016.
“I have been struggling with my personality disorder and after being disowned, my ability to cope with everyday challenges became extreme. My relationships have suffered due to my reluctance to reach out for help, so here I am, asking if you could spare some money to help me.”
Hazim has thus far managed to garner over $5,365 – well over his $5,000 target.
Besides GoFundMe, Hazim said he was also looking for a job and working on self-care therapy.
Hazim told CTV Winnipeg he was grateful for the outpouring of support from the Winnipeg community as well as the University of Winnipeg that had issued a statement of support.
“Hazim is both courageous and resourceful and we are proud to have him as our student. We will monitor his GoFundMe campaign and we will ensure that he is able to complete his winter term here,” the statement said.
Since Hazim does not know what the future holds for him, he has decided to take it one day at a time.
Read more: gofundme.com/helphazimkeepgoing