Herricks High School alumnus Anijah “AJ” Ajah died of an asthma attack Feb. 24. He was 25.
His father, Dr. Ofem Ajah of Manhasset Hills, said his son was a hard worker and sociable friend who “was ready to do anything for anybody.”
“He helped me out when I needed a person most, even more than my family, and I can seriously say he was my hero, not just my best friend,” said Steven Montoya, one of Ajah’s closest friends and a fellow Herricks alumnus.
The asthma attack came during Ajah’s first day in a new job at a Bellmore Dunkin’ Donuts, according to Montoya and Dr. Ajah.
A friend and co-worker drove Ajah to Dunkin’ Donuts and was planning to drive him to a hospital when the attack started around 10 p.m.; but he collapsed and the friend called 911, Dr. Ajah said.
Despite emergency workers’ efforts to revive him, Ajah was dead by the time he arrived at Nassau University Hospital in East Meadow, his father said.
“Obviously I was totally devastated,” said Dr. Ajah, a gastroenterologist at New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn.
Diagnosed with asthma at age 2, Ajah had a sensitivity to detergents and other chemicals, his father said.
He was washing dishes at Dunkin’ Donuts, and the fumes from the detergent may have triggered the attack, Dr. Ajah said.
Earlier that day, Anijah Ajah was “in good spirits,” his father said, telling a family visitor from Nigeria he was excited to start the new job.
Ajah, “a workaholic,” was always trying to gain new skills and make a living while making time to spend with friends, said Montoya, 25, who grew up with Ajah in Manhasset Hills and now lives in Mineola.
“His life was cut short, but he did a lot,” he said. “He never had a moment where he was just sitting down doing nothing.”
Ajah had aspirations to start his own real estate business and make it successful enough to employ his younger brother, Dr. Ajah said.
But at his father’s insistence, he decided to finish his accounting degree at Molloy College, where he was set to graduate by the end of the year, Dr. Ajah said.
He took up wrestling at Herricks High School, never letting his asthma hold him back, Montoya said.
“Since he was so nice and humble, people wouldn’t think he was a good wrestler or a physical person,” he said.
Ajah also loved professional wrestling, chess and table tennis, his father said.
“He was very passionate about the things that he loved,” Dr. Ajah said.
Along with his father, Anijah was also involved with Adim USA, Inc., a non-profit organization that raises money to help “less fortunate” school children in Africa, Haiti and the U.S., Dr. Ajah said.
He was an “important part” of the organization’s youth wing, his father said, and would help plan fundraising events.
Ajah could strike up a friendship with anyone at Herricks, said Montoya, who first met Ajah walking home from school in ninth grade. He was known in the school for his sense of humor.
He never complained or bragged, and was eager to learn and was full of information, Montoya said: “If I ever got to teach AJ something I would feel special.”
“We are sad to hear this news regarding one of our alumni and extend our deepest sympathies to his friends and family members,” Herricks school Superintendent Fino Celano said in a statement.
Ajah was also a loyal friend who would never hesitate to answer a call or give advice, even if he was in class, Montoya said.
His friends relied on him for honest answers to their questions or problems, Montoya said, and he always aimed to make people around him happy.
“He was like a cure for unhappiness,” said Cam Gianelli, another Herricks alumnus and friend of Ajah’s, in a written statement. “He was so hard-working and would’ve accomplished so much and it’s a shame that he didn’t get a chance to make the rest of the world happy like he made us.”
In addition to his father, Ajah is survived by his mother Francine, brother Tuniche, 23, and sister Achayen, 21.
He will be honored with a viewing from 4 to 8 p.m. March 3 and a funeral service at 9 a.m. March 4 at the Frank Bell Funeral Home, located at 536 Sterling Place in Brooklyn.
Ajah will be buried at Cypress Hills Cemetery in Brooklyn.
