Vancouver physiotherapist looks to “amplify his impact” in honour of his late mother
For almost a year, Armin Ghayyur spent most of his time in and out of clinics, emergency rooms and intensive care units, watching his mother receive countless blood and platelet transfusions.
Meanwhile, doctors tried to figure out – to no avail – why her red blood counts kept plummeting.
It wasn’t until his mother’s passing, following an emergency spleen operation, that his family finally learned she had been suffering from lymphoma.
During her year-long search for a diagnosis, Armin’s mother relied on blood products to keep her going.
“Blood became such a huge part of our journey – not only because of how many units my mom received, but because it ended up being a real focal point of our day,” says Armin. Although she eventually passed in October 2018, Armin says that he and his family will be forever grateful to all the generous donors across the country who selflessly gave the life essentials that his mother needed.
As his way of paying it forward and honouring his mother’s memory, Armin recently launched a fundraising campaign in support of Canadian Blood Services, through his Vancouver-area physiotherapy clinics.
Every Monday in October 2019, Armin donated a portion of the cost of each physiotherapy session given at his clinics, to Canada’s Lifeline.
Armin is already an active blood donor, but says he wanted to amplify his impact by donating financially.
“Being a clinic and business owner myself, I can appreciate that things like [recruitment] advertising and other resources cost money,” he says. “I thought […] instead of just going to donate blood myself, maybe my financial gift can help encourage 10 more people to donate, too.”
Armin plans to continue to honour his mother’s legacy every October, by making this fundraising event for Canadian Blood Services an annual occurrence.
His experience has also led him to become a strong advocate for Canada’s Lifeline. He now regularly takes the opportunity, through his daily interactions with patients, to share his mother’s story and emphasize how important it is to give – in whichever way they choose.
“Just helping them understand how they can make such a massive difference, not only in a patient’s life, but in the lives of people around them, is a huge thing.”
Financial donors like Armin play an integral role in connecting patients with life essentials, where and when they need them. Financial support from organizations, as well as individuals, can help strengthen Canadian Blood Services’ national programs for blood, stem cells, and organs and tissues, and fuel research and innovation initiatives that will help improve patient outcomes.
Visit give.blood.ca to learn more about the lifesaving impact of financial donations.