Help us pay our dads medical bills

This is probably one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do.

We’re a humble family of four: Mohamad, Yoland (AKA Yolla), Olga, and Amira. We love people and thrive on big gatherings, always bringing others together. Our dad, Mohamad, is like a walking encyclopedia—he can converse with you about anything and everything, and you’re guaranteed the most stimulating discussion. Mama, Yolla, the heart of our family, used to cook the biggest spreads, bringing people together over delicious meals that left everyone with full stomachs and happy hearts. Olga and I are simply extensions of them.

Unfortunately, our lives spiraled downward over the past few years. Our mother, Yolla, suddenly passed away in 2016, leaving us devastated. A year after her passing, in 2017, I, Amira, immigrated to Canada, where Olga had been living for a few years. At the time, since my dad was retired, I was sponsoring him in Dubai. This meant that when I left the country, he had to leave as well. He came with me to Canada on a visitor visa.

Getting Baba permanent residency (PR) in Canada was incredibly difficult and took many years. He was only granted PR in April of this year. During the time we were trying to sort out his papers, Baba became very ill. He was diagnosed with cancer, for which he received treatment, and later developed full kidney failure, requiring dialysis for the rest of his life. On top of that, he was already a heart patient, so regular visits to cardiologists were necessary. Habibi Baba has been through so much.

Before he received his PR in April 2024, he was still on a visitor visa, meaning we were billed for all his treatments. Unfortunately, the only insurance he had covered emergencies like ER visits, but all other claims were denied. His treatments have been incredibly expensive, and life in Canada is costly. Each dialysis session costs $1,200, and Baba undergoes dialysis daily. Post-cancer check-ups cost around $4,000.

Olga and I have accumulated a significant amount of debt, doing our best to pay for Dad’s treatments while struggling to make ends meet. But now, with maxed-out credit cards and inflation, we can barely keep afloat. We need help.

For us, this is huge. We’re a family that sorts out our problems quietly and on our own. Reaching the point of setting up a GoFundMe feels monumental—it means we’ve exhausted all our options. It also feels like we’ve failed as people and as daughters. Yet, we are aware that we’re lucky enough to have people around us who love us and who we love in return, and who might be able to help.

So here we are, reaching out with open hearts.

Much love from our family,

Mohamad, Yolla, Olga, and Amira