I will never forget Djamshid Djan Popal’s eyes. He was in pain, and he was afraid. It was 2004, and I was standing outside the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) with a gaggle of reporters from
various media. Djamshid was a 9-year-old boy from Afghanistan who had a heart condition and was brought to Canada for life-saving surgery. He had just landed in Ottawa and was heading to CHEO for an
examination before being cleared for transport to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Kids. The operation was a success, and Djamshid felt so much better that he asked if he could go home. But, no one ever told him or his father that Djamshid would need care for his whole life—care that wasn’t available in Afghanistan or neighboring Pakistan. In 2021, a reporter chatted with Djamshid, now in his 20s. He said he regrets leaving Canada and is desperately trying to return. I was
heartbroken when I read about that. I kept thinking of the poor 9-yearold
looking scaredly from his gurney. He was given so much hope but ended up
