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“You know you’re saving my life, right?”
That’s the first thing Princeton’s Christine Unrau said to her benefactor, Gary Dzhokhar, who would provide all the money Unrau needed to get a double lung transplant once a compatible donor was found. It’s words.
A previous GoFundMe campaign raised more than $25,000, and it is estimated that the cost of post-surgery care could easily exceed $40,000.
After giving Unrau a bouquet of flowers and a warm hug, he said, “I will be with you until the end.”
The two met on Saturday, March 23rd, at Princeton’s Copper Pit Restaurant.
“We’ll cover the cost no matter what. If it’s $50,000 or $60,000, it doesn’t really matter.”
Dzhokhar, a successful entrepreneur from Penticton, learned of Unrau’s plight through media reports earlier this week.
After the surgery, Unrau will need to live in Vancouver for three to six months with her husband, Arlen, who will be her constant caregiver.
The cost was not covered by the state, so it was out of the family’s reach. Unrau removed her name from her transplant registry in January for that reason.
Johal told Black Press that he was drawn into Unrau’s journey by his father.
The family patriarch spent six years on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.
“I know the pain and stress, but it broke my heart to see (her) name taken off the list. It was devastating.”
Dzhokhar’s father ultimately underwent successful transplant surgery.
Claiming he was lucky, he said, “I was able to pay all my expenses.”
On the contrary, “I feel this is my duty as a Canadian.”
Johar immigrated from India in 1997 and took a job as a clerk at Mac’s convenience store in Penticton.
Two years later, he became a franchisee and he and his family continued to build on that success. He currently runs more than 15 of his small businesses in the state and regularly does charity work with his brother, supporting medical efforts in several cities as well as local events and festivals. doing.
Unrau called Johar an “angel on earth.” She plans to give back in the only way she can now. This is to appeal to the need for policy changes that mean that no one should have to die because they don’t have money.
Unrau has been invited to visit Victoria and meet with Premier David Eby to discuss the issue, and is partnering with the Princeton-based BC Rural Health Network.
Executive director Paul Adams reported that of the 450 transplants performed in Vancouver each year, 150 of those patients come from outside the Fraser Valley.
The organization’s goal is to ensure that all British Columbians have access to health care without financial penalty.
“Do I have enough money to move to Vancouver for surgery?” That’s unfair and it’s really awful. “This is one of the most egregious inequalities that rural residents face,” he told Spotlight in a previous interview.
Unrau is usually a private person, and said it was difficult for him to play a central role in such a high-profile issue.
“But I’m going to stir things up. I’m not going to shut up.”
Adams told Johal, “You’re saving Chris’s life, and Chris will save many more lives.”
Read more: Princeton woman worries she won’t be able to afford double lung transplant
Read more: Canada wishes Duchess Kate a ‘speedy recovery’ after cancer diagnosis
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