Nicole Cooper
Where do I start?
I remember the first time I met Farhan. My husband and I were out shopping, and we coincidentally pulled into a parking a space beside my friend, Afzal. His son, Farhan, was in the passenger side and he got out of the car to greet me. Farhan looked at me with gentle dark eyes, long lashes, and an awkward smile that made me feel like he had known me for many years.
I felt an immediate tug at my heart, and I went over and gave him a huge hug. My husband gave me a look of surprise, because I NEVER, EVER greet anyone with that kind of warmth and affection. When we left, my husband said, “How long have you known Farhan?” I stammered,“ I just met him for the first time!”
A few weeks later, Farhan started to volunteer with me on Saturday mornings visiting residents at the Good Samaritan home. Farhan was like the mayor when he walked through the door– he always greeted the residents with a smile and “good morning, how are you today?” It wasn’t long before I realized that Farhan was a very special person. I came to realize that Farhan had wisdom far beyond his years. He taught me how to live life joyously, and how people should treat each other.
Lesson #1 – Be Positive, always!
Farhan became fast friends with Sue D., who suffered from short-term memory problems, similar to Farhan’s symptoms from multiple brain tumors. One day, Farhan came with a very sore throat. Sue started complaining about how her brothers treated her because she couldn’t remember things. Farhan said that he too got frustrated. In fact, the night before he had gotten so upset that he screamed to himself so that he wouldn’t take it out on others. But then Farhan said; “Sue, do you know what my blood type is? B Positive!” “You have to go through life being positive because that’s why we’re here. Being positive is what life is about.”
Lesson #2 – Laugh and share your laughter
Sometimes we would take walks outside. Farhan would walk very slowly. Sue would say “Hurry up! You’re going to slow!” Farhan would put on a huge smile and make us giggle hysterically by “Beat-Boxing with his voice and rapping songs to move his feet faster with the beat. We couldn’t stop laughing all the way back.
Lesson #3 – Care and pray for others, show your compassion!
One time on our walk, Farhan looked over and saw that my husband was on the phone with a worried look. He took my hand, and brought Sue in close, and said: “Shall we say a prayer for Bill? He looks very worried about something” “If I say the prayer I’ll have to start with “bismillah,” because that’s how we start prayers.” I remember being shocked that this young boy could have so much compassion for someone else that he barely knew.
Lesson #4 – Never complain, just keep smiling
One morning, Farhan looked a little sick, and his stomach grumbled loudly throughout our visit. He never complained once and smiled the whole time, even though I knew he must have been in severe pain.
Lesson # 5- Don’t be afraid to show your emotions – we are all family!
One time, Sue, Farhan and I decided to go to a movie. It was below freezing, and the wind was whipping up snowdrifts. Despite the cold, we headed to see The UpSide. There were many poignant scenes in the movie, and Farhan wept loudly at the sad scenes and laughed out-loud during the funny scenes. I was a little worried that the movie was too much for Farhan, and I put my arm around him to comfort him. Soon, I started to weep at the end, and I realized this was the first time I let myself cry in a theater. Although there were many times that I had tears, I was too embarrassed to cry. I was amazed that it took a young boy to teach me that “it’s OK to let go”. We are all family, and our purpose on this earth is to share our emotions with each other to reaffirm that we are “One Body”, and always connected.
I will always be connected to Farhan, and know that he is looking down, and smiling at his extended family. His legacy will last forever with all the lives that he has touched.
Yash Patil
Never have I seen a person as happy as Farhan. Always had a smile on his face no matter what he faces. I have known him since childhood but when I met him for the first time in 8 years after came back to America, the condition he was very heartbreaking. I remember shaking on the doorstep the first time I saw him. It took me a moment to accept what had happened. It took me a while to recover from what I just saw. That night tears rolled down my cheeks as I was in bed. However, the whole time I was at his house he never frowned or showed a moment of sadness, he always smiled. This is something that I learned from him that I could never do. I always and even to this date cry whenever I was going through a bad patch in my life. I had thoughts on just giving up everything every time something bad happened. I have seen and met a lot of people in my entire life but Farhan was very unique, not because of his condition, but because of the way he approached life. His way of living life. He never showed the sad part of his life to anyone. The sad part about the whole thing is I always thought that I had a lot of time to spend with him, a lot of time for us to be places, but I failed to realize that I had a lot of time, he didn’t. I wish I realized this and I should have spent more time with him. He left us but he showed us a way to live life. He showed us that you can make your life much better only if you smile and show that you are strong enough to fight all the battles that you face.
Jarod Croteau
Farhan was the nicest, most kind hearted person I will ever know. Every time I saw him, he had a huge smile on his face. I used to walk down the halls of Shaker and say “Hey, what’s up?” And he’d immediately respond by saying, “the ceiling!”. He was so quick witted, funny and unbelievably strong. He will always be remembered as one of my best friends growing up. We used to hang out and watch movies in his movie theater, play ping pong, and he’d show me all of his crazy cool oragami creations. One lesson I learned from him was not to judge a book by its cover, because you really don’t know what people are going through and you should never assume anything. Be nice to people, be a good friend, don’t take things for granted, and be positive. Rest In Peace Farhan.
Ayaan Bargeer
There aren’t many people in the world that can always put a smile on your face, but Farhan was one of them. I think we always smiled around him because we reflected his personality; his smile, in return, created thousands of other smiles. Farhan was truly a wonder, and I don’t think I will ever meet someone like him again. So, here’s to you Farhan, let your smile live on forever
Keara Papa
Farhan was always someone who could brighten your day. He could make anyone smile and made the school a happier place. Thank you for teaching me to be positive!
Haroon Syed
“I have learned many things from Farhan bhaiya, but the one thing that stands out to me is his happiness. Even though he did face many obstacles and health issues, he still maintained a sense of great joy every time I met him. His smile, laughs, and overall happy mood lit up my day and will be missed by me and many others for many more years
Neha Pattan
For me I learned that even if you are living in the worst condition, there is always a bright side to it and you shouldn't complain even about the big things in life.
Lubna Ismail
I will always remember his smile and abundance of common knowledge, he'd always have information about different things that nobody would know. Also every time I see an advertisement for the Make A Wish foundation I remember Farhan and how happy he was when they arranged for him and his family to go on vacation.
Nehla Ismail
I remember how Farhan would never complain and would always have a smile on his face and be friendly to all people that he would meet.
Zoya Ahmad
I learned that you should always be positive because even if you are in a bad situation there is always someone worse off
Zain Ahmad
It is very sad to lose a loved one, especially one who you have known for a long time. And although, things like this happen, we must remember the lasting impact Mr. Farhan Afzal had on us when he was still alive. He has taught me to look into the future with positivity no matter how bad the circumstances. No matter how bad things looked he always took them up and acted as if it had two faces, and he always the picked the one which lead to the greatest happiness of others around him. Also, he taught me there is beauty in everything. Many say money can lead to greed but, I’d have to disagree, if more people had seen what he could do with this money and that he could create beautiful things with them, I would say their opinions would change. The yodas and cranes he created show how with a quick change in perspective, anything can be considered the most beautiful item in the whole galaxy. And with these few sentences for such a great man, I conclude and hope his legacy helps generations to come and we all learn to look at the beauty and look with hopeful faces towards times with more positivity. For his sake and for our own
Azzam Ladkhan
Farhan was a kid whose presence could light up any room he was in. His happiness but a smile on everyone’s face. He has made a dent in all of our hearts and has brought the community together and made a big happy family. Always remember B+ (Be Positive).
Nabeel Pattan
Look on the bright side of everything
Hafsa Khan
I didn’t know Farhan Afzal that well. But sometimes I saw him at my Moms close friends house. He was so polite all the time and was such a down to earth person. He would talk to me about his Make A Wish trip and he showed me pictures. He taught me how to do origami and you never saw him upset. He was always had this light on him that sparked up everyone's day. I’ll never forget Farhan Afzal.