A Pakistani man came to Alabama for surgery. Now he’s invited all of Birmingham to his wedding.

by: Lee Hedgepeth
Posted: May 20, 2022 / 09:40 PM CDT
Updated: May 22, 2022 / 12:13 PM CDT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – This weekend, Shahzeb Anwer will get married in his home country of Pakistan, and all of Birmingham, Alabama, is invited to attend.

Anwer is no stranger to the Magic City. Although he was only here for a short time, he said he feels like Birmingham’s “favored son.” And he wants to repay the favor.

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The 31-year-old had been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, a disease that had been causing him to get kidney stones once or twice a year since he was 18. He began having digestive problems. He developed skin issues. But the treatment for his medical issue, Anwer found out, was a surgery that was impossible in Pakistan because of limited technology.

So Anwer began looking for help outside his own country. He looked into travelling to Turkey, Singapore, the UK, and India for treatment, but pandemic-related travel restrictions had made things difficult. Anwer was also worried about costs – the cost of travel as well as the out-of-pocket cost of the medical procedure itself.

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