Fatima Durrani

When she was younger, Fatima Durrani went down to her village in Pakistan to purchase notebooks, stationery and a chalkboard. Eight to 12 school kids would later gather around to learn different subjects taught by Fatima and would be rewarded with little gifts if they got good grades. She went back every summer for four years.

When Fatima was 11 years old, her family moved here from Pakistan. She began the seventh grade at Oak Grove Elementary School.

At the end of May, Fatima, a sophomore, started to get ill. In July, she was diagnosed with Pemphigus vulgaris, a rare autoimmune disease that causes blistering of the skin. “She suffered four months with unbearable pain and high doses of medication,” Mrs. Samina Durrani, Fatima’s mother, explained over email. “Even in her illness, she maintained a smile and positive attitude. I never heard her complain about her illness or anything in her life; she was always thankful.”

After missing school at the beginning of the year, Fatima began to feel better and returned in October. In early November, however, she started to get sick again and was eventually hospitalized on Nov. 23. She was later moved to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, where she died from liver failure on Nov. 26.

Fatima, 15, was cherished by many in the LHS community as well as her family and friends. Although she was known to be very shy by her friends and teachers, she impacted those who met her through her kindness and compassion.

“I think the one thing I will always remember about Fatima is her gentleness; a person who was super gentle with people. She had a kind heart and a kind spirit about her towards other people,” Mrs. Mary Kate Schoenbeck, her former English teacher, remarked sentimentally.

Fatima was always very focused on family. Her younger sister Aleema, who is 3 years old, was a very important part of her life, her mom said.

“[Fatima] happily took on the responsibility of caring for Aleema: from changing her diapers to buying her clothes and organizing her birthdays. Fatima was looking forward to arranging a big birthday party this year for Aleema, who turned 3 on Dec. 20. Aleema is still confused and misses her sister. She says, ‘Fatima open the sky,’ so that she can see and play with her,” Mrs. Durrani stated.

Mr. Ryan Ebling, Durrani’s English teacher this year, added, “She would always talk about her sister. As long as I knew Fatima, almost any chance she got to talk about her sister, she did.”

Fatima was diligent and valued her education. Her favorite subject was science, and she hoped to become a dentist one day, her mother said. Fatima worked hard to perform well and put in lots of effort to everything she accomplished.

This was evident when Fatima was named a Student of the Month for December by the A-F LST. Although she had been out of school in the beginning of the year, it didn’t stop her from pursuing her studies.

“Upon her return to school this fall, Fatima displayed maturity, grace, unprecedented perseverance and dedication. Her hard work, conscientiousness, positive attitude, and determination shined through every single day she conquered the transition back to class,” Mrs. Meagan Silverberg, dean of students for the A-F LST, wrote in her nomination. “Her resilience and positivity is truly an inspiration to us all.”

Her teachers and friends repeatedly mentioned the sweetness Fatima displayed through her daily life to everyone she interacted with. Mrs. Schoenbeck reflected on this, saying, “She cared about people. She cared about her family, she cared about her friends. She cared about her education, and I think she just cared about being a good person and living life with those values in mind.”

Multiple friends recalled how trustworthy Fatima was.

“I went to her for just someone to talk to last year because I could trust her with anything I told her and I knew she wouldn’t tell anyone else,” Maddie Tankel, a sophomore, said over a text interview. “She was my ‘safe person’ that I would pour my heart out to.”

Mrs. Durrani remains filled with pride for Fatima: “I am proud of having her in my life for 15 years. Those were the best years of my life. She wasn’t only my daughter, but also my best friend. The top things I will remember about Fatima [were] her positive attitude, her love for her baby sister, and her mature attitude [that kept] the whole family happily intact. But I want to keep her name alive and let the whole school know how a short-lived Fatima positively fought her illness and peacefully lived her life spreading happiness, kindness, and love.”