Dudu Family Healthcare

UPDATE (2016-Sept-30) - We've already reached our $10,000 goal!  These funds will go towards any healthcare needs for the Dudu family.  If you still want to support families like the Dudus in Guelph, please consider donating to the campaign setup by the photographer who took the now-famous pictures.  Funds raised by her campaign will go to the many other refugee families settling in the Guelph area.

On Thursday, September 22nd, 2016, Halil Dudu, his wife and three children arrived in Canada as refugees after fleeing their home in Syria. 

The Dudus are settling down in a small town 1 hour west of Toronto, called Guelph.  Several members of the community, including my wife and myself are helping them get acquainted with the day-to-day challenges of starting a life in a new country, including providing temporary accomodations while we find them a permanent place of their own.

On Sunday, a nearby neighbour was putting on her wedding dress for her big day when the zipper broke.  As luck would have it, Halil is a master tailor.  He immediately offered to help, even though he speaks no English.  The moment was captured by their wedding photographer Lindsey Coulter , who posted this wonderful story on Facebook . 

The story has gone viral and has been seen on sites such as CTV , the Huffington Post and CNN .

As wonderful and heartwarming as this story is, the Dudu family does have a number of challenges in front of them.  First and foremost is their health.  We've taken them to a dentist who has determined that several family members will require significant dental work due to several years of neglect brought on by their circumstances as refugees.  We are also realizing they will require money for other healthcare needs, such as glasses and medication.

I am one of the key members of the team sponsoring the Dudu family. I live in Guelph, Ontario with my husband Ken and young son. My husband, myself, another couple, and the Hobson family seen on TV and in the various stories are responsible for getting the Dudus settled in Guelph.

The funds will go directly to any healthcare that the Dudu family require.  The mother requires a root canal and all members require significant dental cleaning. There are other pending health issues that we don't really want to share too widely in order to respect the family's privacy.

Please consider donating some money to help get the Dudu family healthy. We will post updates as they progress.

If you would be more comfortable donating money to help a broader group of Syrian refugees in Canada, check out the campaign setup by the wedding photographer, Lindsay Coulter .

If you want further verification of the authenticity of this campaign, read the following stories where the campaign is mentioned (will be updated as information becomes available):
- The Guardian website (UK-based newspaper)
- University of Guelph (where David Hobson works, the husband of the family temporarily housing the Dudus) 
- Washington Post (more in-depth story)