Mother of Syrian refugee family passes away after battle with ALS

Rounza and Sami Alnaimy came to Canada iwith their six children in 2015.

The mother of a family who fled Syria for Canada in pursuit of a better life has passed away in Calgary after losing her battle with a debilitating disease.

According to the Calgary Immigrant Support Society Group, Rounza Alnaimy died on Tuesday.

Rounza and her family came to Canada in 2015 as part of the Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative and she was given just a few years to live after being diagnosed with ALS.

She and her husband, Sami, have six children and a fundraising campaign was launched to help the family raise enough money to bring some of their extended family members to Canada to help out.

A Gofundme page was established with a goal of $46,000 to bring the children’s grandparents and an aunt from Lebanon to Calgary and it is currently sitting at over $57,000.

A funeral service was held for Rounza Alnaimy on Wednesday afternoon at the Akram Jomaa Mosque at 1:00 p.m.

The Muslim Council of Calgary has stepped in to pay the funeral costs and the group has also raised another $6000 for the family to put towards the sponsorship.

For more information or to make a donation to the Alnaimy’s Family Sponsorship Fund, click HERE.