REBUILDING A LIFE

In the early morning hours, Shahpoor walks through his new neighborhood in Arlington Heights. He moves through the hushed, tree-lined streets while neighbors still sleep and tries to quiet his thoughts. 

It’s a habit he picked up at Camp As-Sayliyah outside Doha, Qatar. The former U.S. military base became a processing location for people fleeing Afghanistan when the Taliban seized control — people like Shahpoor, his wife, Marina, and their daughter, Fatema. 

Each had reasons to fear the Taliban that led to their fleeing home: Shahpoor held modern views as CEO of the Afghanistan National Theater, Marina worked with foreigners as an engineer, and Fatema is a girl. 

At that crowded camp, Shahpoor hoped for word of when his family would be resettled in the United States. He waited, walked, and witnessed his wife fight cancer.  

“It was very hard because my wife was sick, and I had a small daughter to take care of. I slept very little and started walking early in the morning through the camp with my daughter to clear my mind,” Shahpoor said through a translator. 

While the family’s hope was to reach hospice in America, Marina died of cancer in Qatar just days before Shahpoor and his daughter were allowed to resettle in the U.S. They arrived in Chicago where two of Marina’s brothers had resettled earlier. 

“I admire them so much for making a huge adjustment at a difficult time in their lives and how resilient they’ve been,” said Sharon, a volunteer RefugeeOne connected with the family soon after their arrival. “I put myself in their position and can’t imagine I would do half as well as they’re doing.” 

Shahpoor immediately saw America as the “land of opportunity” and staunchly believes that comes with a special responsibility. 

“We have migrated out of necessity and are now living in this country. We benefit from all the facilities and privileges of this country,” he wrote in translated text messages, adding that, “it is our moral and conscientious duty to defend its interests for as long as we live in this society.”  

Shahpoor and Fatema traveled here with Special Immigrant Visas due to Marina’s former job rebuilding Afghan infrastructure, which put them among a very small number of refugees allowed into the U.S. since President Trump took office in 2025. 

Shahpoor quickly received support from RefugeeOne which helped him pay rent, find a job cleaning at O’Hare Airport, and connect with the volunteer co-sponsor team from First United Methodist Church of Arlington Heights. 

He wishes his English were stronger so he could properly thank the team that meets with his family weekly: practicing English, sourcing a scooter for him to more easily commute, and simply just being present for a father and daughter who’ve been through so much.

“They’re rebuilding their whole life from the ground up and finding their way,” says Sharon, who leads the co-sponsor team. “They’re inspiring, for sure.” 

Sharon and other church members threw a birthday party when Fatema turned 10 — her first birthday without her mother. They gifted her a new bike that she quickly mastered, cruising one-handed down her block in a rush of freedom and movement not allowed for girls in Afghanistan. It is this child’s future that motivates Shahpoor.  

“I must think about my only daughter’s future,” Shahpoor explained, “and there’s an opportunity here that she can grow up, study, and find her true place.” 

Meantime, Shahpoor was struggling with losing his career. He’d scroll through pictures of his past life: performing in plays, directing films, hosting TV shows, and leading a national theater where he handed out awards to women for “best female writer” and “best female director.” The work made him a target of the Taliban.

He’s trying to rebuild some of that former life by establishing a non-profit where refugees can embrace their new culture in America while still celebrating their Afghan roots. He aims to start with an Afghan local music festival.  

“When he starts talking about it, he lights up,” says Sharon, who is one of many encouraging Shahpoor to keep moving forward. 

While he mourns all that’s been lost, this resolute man continues striving toward the opportunity he might realize through his own hard work and others’ good will.  

“There are generous people whose kindness and generosity do not let problems overwhelm me or exhaust my spirit. God willing, in the future all problems will be resolved, and we will also find peace.”