Those of you who know Jabali know that he is a private and self-sufficient person. That’s why as his wife I am writing his BIO. Hi, I’m Adria and I’m going to share a brief story about his life. In reality, the most important thing you need to know about Jabali is that he is the most loving, loyal, and dedicated person I have ever met. He comes from a large and caring family with five official siblings but with countless other people who consider him family. He grew up in PG County MD, where the first group of extended family lived, with neighbors becoming brothers and sisters. He attended Sidwell Friends for middle and high school where he met the second set of folks that would eventually be added to his family. From there he went on to Syracuse and yes, you guessed it, gathered more family. He even managed to gather family from Morehouse College too, and he didn’t even go there!! He came down to visit his brother and friends at college and that was enough. His personality shines in a way that calls people to him and once you are in his inner circle you have a friend for life. I mention his family-gathering journey because several people are reading this now who are in this group and know the heart of the man I love so very much.

After college, Jabali lived and worked in Syracuse for 6 years before returning to the DC area. Here, he helped his mom and other family members take care of his father who by then had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. In 2011, one of his oldest childhood friends passed away from complications related to Kidney Disease. This was a turning point in life as his friend was an inspiration. Jabali, who was always intelligent and gifted, adopted an attitude of giving his all to whatever he did. He has since then gone back to school, changed careers, and began at an entry-level position as a designer, a career that blends both his artistic and analytical skill sets. In less than 10 years, he rose in the ranks to become a senior manager. He currently serves as VP and CCO at Environmental Work Group, a major nonprofit organization whose focus is saving the environment.

Where do I fit in? Well, I first met Jabali in Atlanta in 1998 through a mutual friend. We very quickly became best friends. It took us some time, however, to figure out our crap beyond friendship, but finally did so in late 2011, the same year he lost his friend. He and I have been together since so I have been fortunate enough to witness his growth and dedication to anything he puts his mind to. We married in 2014 and expanded our family to include our precious pooch Bailey-Jean (named after our mothers) in 2021. During the pandemic, he learned how to build, and what started as a project to build planter boxes has since resulted in his learning by YouTube how to build a screened-in deck complete with heaters and a TV, not to mention a second kitchen in our basement!!!!

Jabali was initially diagnosed with IGA nephropathy 10 years ago, earlier the same year we got married. He had no symptoms so it was discovered at a routine doctor’s visit through a blood test. There is no known cause or cure, but with the help of his nephrologist, Jabali immediately made the necessary changes to his diet and lifestyle to extend the life of his kidney. I have been humbled by both his attitude related to living with this disease and his dedication to the changes he made to be healthy. His nephrologist was astonished at how long he was able to maintain his kidney health.

Unfortunately, over the last couple of years, however, his kidney functioning has diminished and he is now in need of a kidney transplant. His immediate family all wanted to donate; his sister was a match but unfortunately, she has the same genetic predisposition as him and I am not a match. He is so loving that he has been reluctant to ask anyone to donate a kidney. But now I am asking for your help.

Love,
Adria