Stories to Inspire - The For Ian Foundation Created to Find a Cure for Rare Childhood and Other Cancers

It's every parent's nightmare. One day your child is in high school, you're looking forward to graduation and doing all the college applications and trips and then your child gets sick and you hear a diagnosis you never thought you'd have to deal with.

There are so many diseases that can be treated, and there are some that can't. Ian Rahimi, a kid who was just  living a normal teenage life in a small suburban town outside of New York City, had one of those that there was not much hope for.

Ian was one of the brightest students in his school. He was exceptionally smart in the sciences, and was accepted into  Stevens Institute of Technology. Ian would have been at home in the setting of the Big Bang Theory. Smart, young and wanting to conquer the world through research he would do and things he would discover. Quantum physics was his discipline of choice.

Ian was diagnosed with cancer, a GIST tumor with an SDHB mutation, possibly the deadliest cancer known to science. This is an extremely rare form of cancer but with a genetic component. His parents, Franko and Jaine poured their savings and efforts into getting Ian to not just all of the best doctors, but also finding the best scientists and doctors working to find cures for his type of cancer and related diseases. They put together an international coalition of renowned clinicians and researchers to collaborate, so much so that it inspired the concept of TEAM SCIENCE at Johns Hopkins.

Breakthroughs were made, ones that will potentially prolong and save other lives. But, the research was not done in time and Ian lost his battle.

His parents have continued their drive to find a cure for this type of cancer, which will help find a cure for many others, as research compounds research and every single step towards fighting one type of disease can help make a difference in fighting others. They have formed the For Ian Foundation which is dedicated to finding a cure for SDH deficient and childhood cancers.

On Wednesday, November 15th, the day Ian died when he was just 19, his parents are asking people to wear green and consider supporting this new foundation.

For more information, and to read the full story of the life and struggle of Ian, who just didn't want to give up, visit: https://www.forian.org/