This article was posted with written permission from Alexandra Meier, Editor-in-chief, co-CEO The Daily Targum.

Theta Chi honors lost brother with cancer-awareness fundraisers

By Lin Lan/The Daily Targum

Last spring, every brother of Theta Chi shaved his head in an act of solidarity for Nexhmi Klobucista (2015), a member who was losing his hair to his cancer treatment.

Klobucista, who was studying exercise science in the School of Arts and Sciences and planned to go into physical therapy, passed away August 12 after six months of battling testicular cancer.

Recently, the brothers of Theta Chi raised $7,430 through multiple cancer-awareness fundraisers to help alleviate the burden of funeral expenses on his family and possibly set up a foundation in his name.

They are currently giving Klobucista’s family their space, waiting for them to decide how they would like to use the money.

Courtesy of Daniel English | Nexhmi Klobuscista, a brother of Theta Chi, died Aug. 12 after battling testicular cancer.

Nicholas Argentieri, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and president of Theta Chi, emphasized the contributions of other Greek organizations on campus, specifically acknowledging Sigma Delta Tau, Gamma Phi Beta, Sigma Kappa, Phi Mu and Sigma Chi.

He remembers Klobucista as an enthusiastic brother who wanted to contribute from the moment he joined the fraternity, volunteering to attend a national conference in January immediately after he was accepted.

“It was only a month after Nexhmi’s pledge, and he immediately wanted to become involved,” Argentieri said. “It was great because his brother had also been in the fraternity a year ago.”

Daniel English, a Rutgers Business School senior and a brother of Theta Chi, said Klobucista was diagnosed early last spring, confiding first in the fraternity’s president.

The news was later released to the entire fraternity, and the brothers began to think of what they could do to help, English said.

When Klobucista was in the hospital, the brothers were unable to visit him due to his condition, though they made other efforts to help him feel better and get through the treatments.

One effort involved buying him a Brooklyn Nets jersey with his name on the back, since he was a huge fan of the basketball team, Argentieri said.

They also started an online campaign on Twitter under #PledgeForNexh, and one brother whose family member also suffered from cancer made a YouTube video in support.

People were able to donate openly or anonymously online.

A fund at GoFundMe.com started for Klobucista has raised $7,223 to date, out of the $8,000 goal. The money was raised over the course of four months and 113 donations.

Other Greek life organizations contributed immensely as well, such as the sisters of the sorority Sigma Delta Tau who hosted a pancake breakfast that raised more than $1,000, Argentieri said.

The idea was first pitched by Kate Jelaska, a School of Arts and Sciences senior and a sister of Sigma Delta Tau, who heard about Klobucista’s fight against cancer from friends in Theta Chi.

Although she had never met him, she felt a connection to his suffering because of a family member of her own who had cancer.

Since the event was scheduled right before finals last semester, Jelaska was worried that other students would be too stressed out to get involved, but she found people were still enthusiastic to help out.

“Everyone was on board,” she said. “All the girls were so excited and more than happy to participate.”

The event was advertised around New Brunswick and several stores in the area donated pancake mixers, bagels and other supplies.

Klobucista was unable to attend, but sent Jelaska a message expressing his thanks, and how much the support meant to him.

This was Jelaska’s first experience with a cancer awareness fundraiser. She was motivated to help a fellow member of greek life because she put herself in Klobucista’s place and realized how much it would mean to her to see support from the community.

“I just thought if I were in his shoes, how happy I would be seeing all these people get together for me.”

To view the original article, visit: http://www.dailytargum.com/article/2014/09/theta-chi-honors-lost-brother-through-cancer-awareness-fundraisers-10c6

Remembering a friend and brother

By Nicholas Argentieri, Beta Delta/Rutgers Chapter President

Losing a friend or relative is never easy. In the event of a loved one’s passing, we try our best to stifle our grief and instead reflect on the brief glimpses of happiness and positivity that he or she was able to weave into the lives of others, if only momentarily.

This has been the tenor of conversations between the brothers of Theta Chi for the past several weeks. One of our brothers, Nexhmi Klobucista, recently passed away after a six-month bout with testicular cancer. What has made the time since his death especially trying, both mentally and emotionally, is that we had very little idea that his condition had deteriorated so quickly. Nexhmi had the moral courage and positive outlook to remain optimistic throughout his battle, and never once let on that he was sicker than he had been on the day of his diagnosis.

I would be hard pressed to think of a single person who was more deserving of the gift of life; Nexhmi will be remembered by all as someone who never stopped smiling, and as someone who, in the face of the most dire hardship, remained confident and hopeful. I can’t help but feel that he did this not for his own sanity, but to spare those around him as much grief as possible.

We could not be more humbled by the outpouring of support from our peers in the Rutgers community. It was truly heartwarming to see the selflessness and generosity of our fellow members of Greek life—specifically the sisters of Sigma Delta Tau, Gamma Phi Beta, Sigma Kappa and Phi Mu, and the brothers of Sigma Chi, as well as our Beta Delta alumni and brothers from around the country. We appreciate your help during this difficult time, as Nexhmi's family surely did. Please know that if you ever have the misfortune of facing a similar situation, we will be the first to come to your aide.

As we begin to recover from this devastating loss, the brothers of Beta Delta plan to do everything in our power to help the Klobucista family. We hope to put your donations to good use, either by helping Nexhmi’s family with funeral expenses, or by setting up an annual philanthropy event in his name.

While this is certainly the most difficult thing that I’ve ever had to deal with as a brother of Theta Chi, I can say with complete honesty that I’ve never been more proud to be a member of Greek life and a Rutgers student. I appreciate everything that you, the members of our community, have done for us in our time of need, and I hope you all will continue to be generous to those in need, remember to cherish every moment of your life, and take nothing for granted.

To view the original #PledgeforNexh YouTube Campaign videos, click below: