Mehmedalija left sport and school to fight for his parents, he needs our help

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Mehmedalija Suljić, a twenty-year-old, has left his education and the ring to care for his sick parents.

Mehmedalija's former coach Mensud Selimović appealed for help for the young man: “This is about the family of a quiet and good guy, a great fighter both in the ring and in life. I say this because I personally trained him when he competed for my kickboxing club, where he absolutely dominated his category. He just disappeared. In fact, he didn't have the strength to say what he was facing and what ordeal he was going through. He even left school and sport due to the situation that befell his family, he had to dedicate himself to his seriously ill mother. I will do everything to bring a smile back to this family's face,” reads part of Mensud Selimović's message on his Facebook profile.

Mehmedalija Suljić is from a Roma family. Until his mother's illness, it seemed he would succeed in life. An excellent student and a good athlete. He gave up everything to earn money for his parents' medication. His mother has a brain tumor and is paralyzed, and his father is a heart patient. The regular income is 160 KM in social assistance for the mother. That cannot be enough for medication alone. The father does not have enough years of service for a pension.

“I worked at Bingo, but I lost my job due to the coronavirus. Now I work by the day, wherever someone calls me. However, there are not many calls,” Mehmedalija told LikeStory.

He tried to fight on his own for a long time, but life proved to be a harder fight than the ring. He turned to his old coach; he didn't want to go to the media, hoping things would improve. He would have liked to finish his education and not interrupt his seven-year sports career, but there were simply no conditions. His pride did not allow him to share his hardship with others earlier. He remains modest, saying any help is welcome.

We have no doubt that citizens will show solidarity this time too, but we also appeal to the institutions in TK and BiH to get involved. Food and medicine are important, but it is much more important to restore hope and provide an opportunity for a young life to continue where it left off.

Love and responsibility towards his parents should not be a punishment for this good and modest young man. Simply put, he is currently not on an equal footing in the fight with life, and he deserves to raise his hand in victory again, both in the ring and beyond.