Two upcoming fund-raisers are planned to help Mafuz, who is hopeful about the future.
Naim Mafuz in his home on Allen Park Road in Springfield.SPRINGFIELD – From his bedside, 19-year-old Naim Mafuz is hopeful for the future.
Nearly a year ago, he missed attending his graduation from Sabis International Charter School; he was in critical condition at Baystate Medical Center, one of two Sabis students injured in a horrific car accident en route home from their senior prom on June 1.
Mafuz suffered major head trauma and is still in the process of recovery.
The accident in the city’s East Forest Park neighborhood drew an outpouring of support for the school and its soon-to-be 2010 graduates; a senior class awards event turned into a impromptu prayer service.
Police said excessive speed was to blame for the accident that occurred on Sumner Avenue near Allen Street and Harkness Avenue. There was no evidence that alcohol was involved.
Today, friends, family and community groups are raising funds to help Mafuz with the costs of his rehabilitation. Part of the effort is also aimed at purchasing a mobilized chair that will help make his home more accessible for Mafuz.
Upcoming fund-raisers include an afternoon rollerskating party at Interskate 91 in Wilbraham on Sunday and the 15th annual Having a Ball, Keeping the Faith dinner and auction set for April 15 at Oak Ridge Country Club in Agawam.
“I’m really excited,” Mafuz said of the fund-raising efforts on his behalf. “I hope they do good.”
Although he’s unable to walk and has limited mobility, Mafuz says he is helped by his faith and “good friends.”
One of those friends is Kasey Callendar, who was in the car with him on the night of the accident.
“It makes me feel happy. It’s the least I can do,” said Callendar of his contributions in the fund-raising efforts. “Naim is my best friend.”
Callendar, 19, is studying business at Holyoke Community College. He suffered a serious leg injury in the crash.
“I still have my tweaks and what not, but I’m good,” Callendar said of his recovery. “It’s nothing I can’t deal with.”
Mafuz, who was a passenger in the car that rolled over and hit a tree, says, “Faith has helped me a lot. I always had good faith, and I still have good faith.”
He’s hopeful that he will one day attend Fairfield University in Connecticut, where he had been awarded a full scholarship. The scholarship is being held for him whenever he is able to go to school.
“My drive is to become a writer,” Mafuz said. “I want to do sports writing.” Don’t ask him about the Boston Red Sox, though; “No, no, no,” he said. “I’m a Giants and Yankees fan.”
Calling “sleep time” the favorite part of his day, Mafuz enjoys attending art therapy sessions. “We sit and talk and do some art,” he said.
“His progress has been great since the accident,” said Connie Mafuz, his paternal grandmother and guardian. “The doctors at Baystate (Medical Center) call him the ‘miracle boy’.”
Financial stress, though, is providing a roadblock in the continuation of his progress, his grandmother said.
“Right now he’s not doing too well because Medicaid cut his therapy,” she said. “He only has 20 more hours left of therapy.”
“I don’t have any money, and everything is gone. Medicaid won’t pay any more,” she said. “He’s at a level right now where they don’t see any more progress.”
Mafuz’s grandmother still holds hope for the future and his recovery, though. “He couldn’t move his hands or feet after the accident, but as days went by he did,” she said. “He can’t walk yet because he has tremors. Doctors say it will take a couple years until that happens. He has short-term memory loss, but gradually it’s getting better.”
Mafuz said her grandson needs a “Step Glider” mobilized chair, the cost of which she approximates at $12,000. The chair will help him get up and downstairs in their home.
“I turned the living room into his bedroom because he can’t come upstairs,” she said. “There’s no privacy. I have to ask people to leave the room when he needs to be changed.”
In spite of hardships, “Naim makes you laugh,” his grandmother said. “He has a good sense of humor but due to medication he sometimes behaves aggressively.”
She is thankful each day for the help her family has received from friends. “I have never experienced anything like this,” she said. “Everyone has been so caring and helpful. It’s indescribable. I have a lot of gratitude for everybody.”
Having a Ball Keeping the Faith is a non-profit group with 15 community volunteers who have been assisting disabled and disadvantaged individuals since 1997.
Barbara Callendar, Kasey’s mother, is the organization’s president and Johnnie Johnson the treasurer.
“It’s a great to help somebody,” Johnson said of the organization’s annual benefit. “It’s a wonderful cause. We do it for someone who really needs something.”