The matriarch of a Syrian family who fled to Canada in search of a better life died in Calgary after battling a fatal neurological condition.
The co-founder of the Calgary Immigrant Support Society Group, Saima Jamal, wrote on Facebook Tuesday that “mother of six beautiful children” Rounza Alnaimy had passed away from the debilitating disease, which gradually paralyzes those affected.
Alnaimy, her husband and six children fled their home in Syria and came to Canada in 2015, as part of the federal Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative.
But upon arriving, Alnaimy was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and doctors said she would likely only live for a few more years.
Her health quickly deteriorated and she soon lost the ability to move, breathe, swallow and speak.
A fundraising campaign was launched on GoFundMe to raise money to bring Alnaimy children’s grandparents and an aunt from Lebanon to Canada.
The page eventually raised more than $57,000 -- shattering the initial goal of goal of $46,000.
Jamal said Alnaimy’s funeral service was held on Wednesday afternoon at the Akram Jomaa Mosque.
The Muslim Council of Calgary will be paying for the funeral costs, with the group has raised $6,000 towards an ongoing sponsorship fund for the Alnaimy family.
For more information or to make a donation to the Alnaimy’s Family Sponsorship Fund, click here.
