In our issue dated 19th September, 2020, we had launched the ‘Parsi Times LIFELINE’ initiative, to create awareness in our readers about the financial difficulties that so many of our community members, especially seniors, have been facing, due to the ongoing pandemic. We assured our readers that we would forward cases received by us to generous Parsi donors to consider for providing relief and support to those who are genuinely affected.
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We immediately received instances of individuals who were in dire straits:
Case I: A prominent and respected lady from our community wrote to us about a poor, Irani Zoroastrian lady who was finding it very difficult to cook food, due to health reasons as she is prone to fainting; also has a heart problem, and is financially struggling, as she depends on some moneys given to her by a Parsi Trust. Very sadly, the poor lady has been known to go without for food for even two days at a time! She suffers from depression and loneliness and has a brother in Iran, who at times helps her out with some of her bills when she runs short of money. Always living with meagre means, she has, over the last three years been very hard hit by her failing health, especially after she lost her young teenage son to brain-cancer.
Case II: One of the other responses we received was from another single, 67-year-old Parsi lady, living alone in a dilapidated flat that with chunks of plaster falling from everywhere and even the iron rods are visible, especially in the kitchen. With zero income of her own, she depends completely on her sister. She has always had problem in walking and has stopped going out of house after she fell on the road about two years. ago. On 6th September, 2020, she had to be urgently admitted to the hospital near her sister’s home at D.N. Nagar near Versova, as she could not lift one leg and had lost control over her bowel movements.
She was diagnosed with severe cellulites in the lower limbs, sepsis, pulmonary edema, fluid overload, etc. She was in the ICU for 10 days and her sister and husband, both senior citizens, older to the patient with limited assets of their own, had to pay the substantial hospitalization bill from their own limited resources. Though discharged from the hospital, the lady is still unable to walk and the doctors having advised that surgery is needed in both knees.
Both the above cases were referred by Parsi Times to WZO Trust Funds, who have, over the last three decades, been very active in raising and providing support to Parsi Irani Zoroastrian families in various forms of distress.
The WZO Trust Funds, after carrying out due diligence, recommended to their principal donors, Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hong Kong, Canton & Macao, who have agreed to extend support to both the cases as follows:
- Arranging for meals to be supplied to the lady on an ongoing basis, in addition to the monthly support that she has been receiving over the last few years.
- Agreeing to reimburse the patient’s sister a large part of the amount incurred on hospitalization; as well as extending monthly financial support to the ailing lady, for her sustenance.
Parsi Times is very grateful and satisfied that our initiative – Parsi Times LIFELINE – has, right from the beginning, begun to deliver positive outcomes for those in distress, enabling them to see the sunrise of hope.
It is truly the good fortune of our community to be blessed with caring, considerate and magnanimous donors of the likes of Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hong Kong, Canton & Macao, Mrs & Mr. Pervin and Jal Shroff also of Hong Kong; as well as, our very own compassionate and committed to community service institution – the WZO Trust Funds, whose hallmarks have been greatly helping our community members in distress, alleviating their problems, and nurturing hope where none existed earlier.
Community members in need may continue to send us details of genuine hardships faced by them (Email: editor@parsi-times.com), which will be sent by us to various charitable Trusts for their consideration and support, after conducting due diligence.
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