Research award created in honour of Quebec man who died of cancer shortly after becoming a father
On Monday, Samaneh Poursaman and her 11-month-old daughter Nika walked the halls of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), once a home for them.
Nika lived there for the first two months of her life while her father, Sooran Noroozi, underwent treatment for sarcoma.
"It's not something that you ever imagined that your pregnancy and having your firstborn would look like, but this is life," Poursaman said.
Noroozi died in July, but his memory lives on through the Sooran Noroozi Sarcoma Research Award, which provides $10,000 to a young researcher.
"All the money that was raised for this award came through her and her effort, through our website to raise this money with her network," said Marie-Helene Laramee, the CEO of the MUHC Foundation.
The first recipient is Dr. Joseph Petruccelli, who has big plans to change how patients receive care.
"We're doing research with generative AI [artificial intelligence] in order to predict patient trajectories and figure out what are the future needs of our patients of today," Petruccelli said.
Two years ago, Noroozi was diagnosed with sarcoma, a painful cancer that affects bones and muscles.
His doctor at the time remembers the family's remarkable story.
"We've never had in this hospital a patient who was getting chemotherapy while his wife is delivering a baby," said Dr. Ramy Saleh, a medical oncologist. "Then, they live together on the floor of a cancer patient floor."
Noroozi was a chemical engineer who loved science. The award was presented on his birthday, and his wife is certain Sooran would be thrilled.
"He would quite like the way that we are celebrating now," Poursaman said. "The way that we are taking a step toward advancing science, which he was a big fan of."
Samaneh plans to raise money every year to be sure her husband's legacy lives on and to help other families fighting sarcoma.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian immigration asks medical worker fleeing Gaza if he treated Hamas fighters
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.
Helicopter carrying Iran's president suffers a 'hard landing,' state TV says without further details
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi suffered a 'hard landing' on Sunday, Iranian state television reported, without immediately elaborating.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
Robbers made off with 'several million euros' of jewels in armed heist at Harry Winston store in Paris
Armed robbers who used a motorbike as a battering ram made off with 'several million euros' worth of valuables in a heist of the luxury Paris boutique of self-declared 'Jeweler to the Stars' Harry Winston, the French prosecutor’s office overseeing the police probe said.
The secret Italian lakes that most tourists don't know about
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
What we've learned so far in the Trump hush money trial and what to watch for as it wraps up
Testimony in the hush money trial of Donald Trump is set to conclude in the coming days, putting the landmark case on track for jury deliberations that will determine whether it ends in a mistrial, an acquittal — or the first-ever felony conviction of a former American president.
Woman killed in Montreal's Saint-Michel district: ex-husband arrested
Less than 24 hours after Montreal's 12th homicide investigation began, Montreal police confirmed that a 55-year-old woman's death in St. Michel is the island's 13th homicide.
Serious boat crash kills 3, injures 5 on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake: OPP
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
Ottawa driver who appeared to be racing another vehicle on Highway 416 facing charges
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says an Ottawa driver is facing charges after being caught going 187 km/h on Highway 416.