NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA — A 10-year-old boy is on a fundraising quest in memory of the care received by his dying mother.
In 2006, young Fikreab Mekonnen and his older brother left their home in Ethiopia and arrived in Truro, Nova Scotia. They had come to be with their father, Mekete Gebrehanna, who arrived here in 2003 to attend the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Their mother, Senait Manahele, arrived in 2004 after being diagnosed with breast cancer in Ethiopia, where there was little chance of receiving the medical care she required.
“I wanted to come here to see mom because she was sick,” explained Fikreab.
Senait died last Oct. 19 but Fikreab believes the attention she received here —especially in palliative care — allowed them more time with her then they might otherwise have had.
“(Palliative care) was very important because they helped mom … and I just want to pay them back,” he said. “If she could not have come here and get that help she would have died earlier.”
The youngster’s way of offering thanks is to raise $1,000 for the needs of the area’s palliative care. He has saved about $170 that will go toward the goal and is hosting a bake and plant sale this weekend as well.
“I think I can make a difference. Every year I want to try to raise $1,000 to help people,” said Fikreab, who aspires to a career as a scientist/researcher.
“Mom died of breast cancer and I don’t want other people to die of it. I would say mom would be very proud of me,” he said, adding he hopes the community will support his cause.
“(Palliative care) is still helping people even if it’s not helping you.”
Mekete is thrilled his son is taking an active role in the community they have come to love. He hopes his family can remain here but that will depend on whether he finds employment.
“I feel I owe this community for everything it has done for Senait,” he said. “And I am proud of my son. He doesn’t want to have money but wants to raise it and give it away. He’s a good member of society and he doesn’t take his health for granted.”
By Monique Chiasson, The Truro Daily News
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3 thoughts on “Mom’s passing sends boy from Ethiopia on quest”
What a moving story. Preventive care is the only way our mothers and sisters can beat such a devastating disease. Self inspecting, going to a near by hospital and getting examined, relating to survivors of the disease and knowing more about the disease itself will add years to our life.
It with deep sadness, I read this article. Then again, I ask myself often, why is it such devastating disease is more common now in our country than it was before?
Fikreab Your contribution to palliative care is much admired and appreciated. Keep up the good job!
I am sad that his mother didn’t survive. To support him how do we contact him or send a check. Elias if you are in touch with him. I am willing to do my part.
Burned by the love of his breast-cancer-patient mother, Senait, her beloved son, Fikereab Mekonnen, crossed the Atlantic Ocean to be with his mother before she died. He came, and he was with her for a while, and he had wanted to be with her for a longer time, but she left him – she passed away. Fikereab wants to do something good for those who treated his mother; he wants to raise money for the Palliative Care as an expression of his good feeling toward the people who work at the Palliative Care and treated his mother. It is for this kind of children that King David said: “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him” (Psalm 127:3). May the good Lord bless Fikereab, and the soul of his mother!