Rehab for A., Help Elham's Family
Donation protected
Daughter A. (born 1997), mother Elham and father/husband R. moved from Syria to Canada in 2000. Their son, S, was born in Canada in 2001.
S. attends (on financial need scholarship) a local Catholic school and is straight A student at 16. A., however, wasn't and isn't on this track. Though a bright and capable student through Brock Elementary, things began to fall apart in Grade 8 in high school in Vancouver. A. was expelled for smoking and drugs and other inappropriate behaviour. A Canadian neighbour got the kids into the Catholic school where they hoped A. would have a fresh start. However, she did not thrive and was expelled again.
Between 2012-2017, A. has been in and out of several rehab programs in Vancouver. Sometimes clean, she will then fall back in with the wrong people. Elham and R. do their best, but they are overwhelmed also with worry for family back home and their own health and income concerns (more to follow). A. has been known to call her parents, begging them to come get her/help her, that she will quit drugs, but then she will faulter again.
A friend of the family suggested a very comprehensive treatment facility in the Okanagan
and A. has had 3 months treatment there. Though she is not ready to come home, there is no more money to keep her there - it is $9900 a month, and Elham and R. have exhausted their savings, including 16-year-old S's $20,000 education fund.
A. must leave the treatment facility on December 26, 2017 unless $9900 is raised. She is doing well, and hopes to get a job at the centre to stay extra firm in her conviction. The centre is 1 hour walk from the small Okanagan town where it's near - an environment with less temptations. The family fears that A. will head to the downtown Eastside if she returns to Vancouver. There is no room for her at home.
Bad health makes R's and Elham's challenges worse.
R, age 50, suffers from a degenerative spine disease, and can only work 4 hours per day. He is a well- trained mechanic and has work, but his body can't handle more than he is doing. ** Donations of time and treatment for the father are welcome. I believe working on his health (chiro, physio, strength training) will grow future earnings for the family. Contact [janice at ptm dot cc] if you can help with this. (We need a plan).
Elham, a trained nurse in Damaskus (but without sufficient English + qualifications to work as a nurse in Canada), recently had very bad news about her teeth. Because of gum disease, she is (December 2017) having 18 teeth removed ($2160 at Reach Dental) and will need dentures ($2000, the family has no benefits). I am driving her to the appointments. (She is learning to drive). Elham is 49. Elham has been very stressed about her daughter, unable to focus fully on work in catering/food prep. She also has a cyst in her hand that prevented working (it will be fixed in January 2018 so maybe she can take on work in February). As of January 2018, she is upgrading her English at school and then will aim for a 9-5-type job at a place like LifeLabs (once she has sufficient English to work in this field), where she can put her nursing training to work in a related field with more future/income than food prep. She has a bad back too.
This family has been too proud to apply for welfare, but a Canadian friend has convinced them now (late 2017) to apply. Currently, a few local families buy groceries for the family when they can. More help is needed. Elham, R. and S. live in a 1 bedroom rented apartment at Main and 33rd in Vancouver.
Please help by donating to A's rehab fund, and please contact [janice at ptm dot cc] with ideas and help for any of the above needs.
If we can raise the funds to continue her care for 2 more months, we feel she will be on the right track, and, with other help, the family in Vancouver can find more employment and health.
Thank you for your giving at this very important time for this local family.
S. attends (on financial need scholarship) a local Catholic school and is straight A student at 16. A., however, wasn't and isn't on this track. Though a bright and capable student through Brock Elementary, things began to fall apart in Grade 8 in high school in Vancouver. A. was expelled for smoking and drugs and other inappropriate behaviour. A Canadian neighbour got the kids into the Catholic school where they hoped A. would have a fresh start. However, she did not thrive and was expelled again.
Between 2012-2017, A. has been in and out of several rehab programs in Vancouver. Sometimes clean, she will then fall back in with the wrong people. Elham and R. do their best, but they are overwhelmed also with worry for family back home and their own health and income concerns (more to follow). A. has been known to call her parents, begging them to come get her/help her, that she will quit drugs, but then she will faulter again.
A friend of the family suggested a very comprehensive treatment facility in the Okanagan
and A. has had 3 months treatment there. Though she is not ready to come home, there is no more money to keep her there - it is $9900 a month, and Elham and R. have exhausted their savings, including 16-year-old S's $20,000 education fund.
A. must leave the treatment facility on December 26, 2017 unless $9900 is raised. She is doing well, and hopes to get a job at the centre to stay extra firm in her conviction. The centre is 1 hour walk from the small Okanagan town where it's near - an environment with less temptations. The family fears that A. will head to the downtown Eastside if she returns to Vancouver. There is no room for her at home.
Bad health makes R's and Elham's challenges worse.
R, age 50, suffers from a degenerative spine disease, and can only work 4 hours per day. He is a well- trained mechanic and has work, but his body can't handle more than he is doing. ** Donations of time and treatment for the father are welcome. I believe working on his health (chiro, physio, strength training) will grow future earnings for the family. Contact [janice at ptm dot cc] if you can help with this. (We need a plan).
Elham, a trained nurse in Damaskus (but without sufficient English + qualifications to work as a nurse in Canada), recently had very bad news about her teeth. Because of gum disease, she is (December 2017) having 18 teeth removed ($2160 at Reach Dental) and will need dentures ($2000, the family has no benefits). I am driving her to the appointments. (She is learning to drive). Elham is 49. Elham has been very stressed about her daughter, unable to focus fully on work in catering/food prep. She also has a cyst in her hand that prevented working (it will be fixed in January 2018 so maybe she can take on work in February). As of January 2018, she is upgrading her English at school and then will aim for a 9-5-type job at a place like LifeLabs (once she has sufficient English to work in this field), where she can put her nursing training to work in a related field with more future/income than food prep. She has a bad back too.
This family has been too proud to apply for welfare, but a Canadian friend has convinced them now (late 2017) to apply. Currently, a few local families buy groceries for the family when they can. More help is needed. Elham, R. and S. live in a 1 bedroom rented apartment at Main and 33rd in Vancouver.
Please help by donating to A's rehab fund, and please contact [janice at ptm dot cc] with ideas and help for any of the above needs.
If we can raise the funds to continue her care for 2 more months, we feel she will be on the right track, and, with other help, the family in Vancouver can find more employment and health.
Thank you for your giving at this very important time for this local family.
Organizer
Janice Hague
Organizer
Vancouver, BC
