$1475 of $10,000 goal raised

Emergency Fundraiser for my Brother Salim.

Fundraiser organized by rahim ladha. Updated on February 25th, 2024

My brother Salim (pictured here with the very delightful Wally The Cat) has Stage 4 Liver Cirrhosis – a fatal condition where without a transplant, he will die. We don’t know how much time he has left so the situation is urgent.

Salim has lived a pretty healthy life in spite of a lot of medical challenges, so we don’t know if this is his diabetes or related to Long Covid, but he needs help, right now.

He’s been very tired the last couple of months & spends most of his days deeply fatigued in bed & he has already had two hospital stays following visits to the emergency room (dangerous sugar spikes to high blood pressure to go with his liver problems)

I’m trying to raise enough money to help primarily with his living expenses. He’s been out of work for a couple of months on unpaid sick leave, but he’s dealing with all manner of challenges in terms of back pay/proper compensation & unfair labor & management practices which is putting his health in greater jeopardy. His benefits are at risk and due to various health issues when he was diagnosed with cancer at an early age, he requires a lot of medication to manage various health conditions. Losing his benefits & his access to medication will be equally fatal.

Doctors in Ontario can also charge additional fees. Common uninsured services include writing sick notes, or printing or copying medical records. Salim has been paying out of pocket three figures each time he’s having a note written for a claim where his insurance company is making things extremely difficult for him when it’s his right to be covered for certain claims. Recently, he was unable to pick up a new medication for his diabetes due to this kind of bureaucracy. It’s taxing him physically & mentally & I need him to focus on his primary job of staying alive until we can find him a living liver donor.

This fundraiser is for his rent over the next few months & it’s to cover his medication expenses, for auxiliary payments that are not covered by OHIP for which he has to pay out of pocket & for his food as well.

I just want him to have time to rest and repair and prepare for a transplant. The goal is $20,000. I know that it may require a lot more, but if I know his rent and living expenses are taken care of, we can wipe out any of his additional debts & we can take care of him from a place of strength.

My brother Salim kept a roof over my head when I wasn’t able to do the same for myself. I’ve seen my dad go through this & die young & I don’t want him or my family or his wife to go through the same. I don’t have the words to adequately speak to how much I love him but also deeply appreciate him for what he did for me.

Visit the link below to contribute to his emergency funds & if you have any questions or want more information on how you can become a living donor (for him, for anyone) don’t hesitate to contact me at rahim@viciousminuteshour.com

Be a Living Donor

If you’re interested in becoming a living donor to my brother (or being tested to help a friend, family member or stranger down the line) here are a series of links that will be updated on a regular basis where you can learn more. Even if you’re not a match for my brother, the living donor programs allow you to give the gift of life to someone else & for both of you to have a long, healthy life.

A reminder – even if there isn’t a program listed here in your specific city, contacting these organizations in your province/territory allow you to find out how to you can participate in a Living Donor program.

Provincial Programs - Canada

UHN - https://www.uhn.ca/Transplant/Living_Donor_Program

London Health Sciences Centre - https://www.lhsc.on.ca/multi-organ-transplant-program/living-donation

Canadian Blood Services - https://www.blood.ca/en/organs-tissues/living-donation

BC Transplant - http://www.transplant.bc.ca/organ-donation/living-kidney-donation

Alberta Health Services - https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/service.aspx?Id=5853

Saskatchewan Health Authority - https://www.saskhealthauthority.ca/your-health/conditions-illnesses-services-wellness/all-z/tissue-organ-donation/about-donation

Transplant Manitoba - https://www.transplantmanitoba.ca/decide/living-kidney-donor

Transplant Québec - https://www.transplantquebec.ca/en/living-organ-donation

Atlantic Canada - https://www.motpatlantic.ca/Home/LivingKidneyDonorProgram