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Faces of ABLE2
Frank Reid
We were sorry to hear of the recent passing of Frank Reid. Frank was a past chair of our board and a former Ally.
He is remembered fondly by the staff who worked with him. They describe him as very involved, a gentle person who was always the first person to offer to help. A couple of stories were told to illustrate his generous spirit. In the first story, the staff talked about the support Frank gave to a 9-year-old boy with a disability who needed help to go to a sports game. Frank was so generous with his time, we are sure the boy still remembers his kindness. The other was a memory from our Annual Holiday Dinner and Dance where we are told that Frank danced the night away with everyone.
We wish to extend our sympathies to Frank's wife, family and friends.
Salima Jassani
Sadly, we also recently learned of the passing of a Friend, Salima. Her match, Beatrice Mulinda, submitted this lovely memory of her time with Salima.
"I had the chance to know Salima for only a few months, but she left such a strong impression on me. With her, I understood the meaning of the word resilience.
As she was no longer very mobile, we met in a shopping mall to share a coffee, sometimes a meal, to chat and take short walks inside the shopping mall. I quickly understood that Salima must have been a very sociable person because many people stopped to greet her, I then asked them how they knew her; some had known her at the YMCA which she had previously attended, others at the hospital, at the mosque, etc. She didn't talk to them but her smile said it all.
She was quiet, but with me, over coffee, she made jokes, she was funny and smart! She was full of surprises; Salima and I always spoke to each other in English, but one day she started speaking French! I was very surprised as I did not know that she spoke French, but she told me that when she was young, she had studied in Montreal. From that moment on, we spoke to each other sometimes in French, sometimes in English. She spoke with affection about her family, especially her mother!
At the end of each meeting, she asked me if we were going to meet again and if I was going to call her. It made me so happy to know that she was, like me, looking forward to our next visit. Needless to say, her early death left a void."
We wish to extend our sympathies to Salima's family and friends.
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