Dr Sahar Bahadi is a pediatrician originally from Aleppo, Syria where she worked in multiple hospitals over a 25 year period, including the Red Crescent Hospital for children, while running her own private clinic. In addition, she volunteered for many years in the Red Crescent Clinic for cerebral palsy and handicapped children, where she gave clinical care and lectures on child health to parents through UNICEF. In 1991, Dr. Bahadi completed a postgraduate study in the history of medicine and contributed to the writing of an encyclopedia of famous Arab and Muslim scholars. Although she worked very hard, her work was rewarding and safe.
At the beginning of the Syrian war in 2011, she received death threats to herself and her family, and left Syria to start a new life in Canada. On July 27 th 2013 her vision of a safe, new life were shattered when she received news of the death of her son, Sammy Yatim. A policeman shot Sammy nine times on a Toronto streetcar. Sammy’s death mobilized a nation and led to numerous protests against police brutality. The police officer was charged with murder, which represents the only case in Canadian history of police officer being jailed for murder. Sammy’s death resulted in 84 recommendations related to the training of police.
While Dr. Bahadi has experienced unimaginable pain due to the loss of her son, and her country, she continued to volunteer through the international organization Woman and Health Alliance (WAHA) to treat Syrian children in refugee camps in Greece and Lebanon. In Canada she has been volunteering with the Arab Community Centre of Toronto and, more recently, with Dr. Banerji at the COSTI pediatric clinic.