Full Circle: A Mother’s Gift of Gratitude

When Roshan Doctor arrived in Canada as a young immigrant from India, she couldn’t have imagined the life that lay ahead — raising two daughters, building a new future in Markham, and eventually becoming a proud grandmother to five. But one of the most unexpected and meaningful chapters of her life began with a visit to North York General.

Fifteen years ago, Roshan came to NYG for a lumpectomy after a biopsy raised concerns. “When you’re dealing with the possibility of cancer, you’re emotionally all over the place,” she recalls. But the care she received left a lasting impact. “The nurse who brought me in just sat with me. She took the time to calm me down before the doctor came in — I had never experienced that kind of care before.”

Full Circle: A Mother’s Gift of Gratitude

When Roshan Doctor arrived in Canada as a young immigrant from India, she couldn’t have imagined the life that lay ahead — raising two daughters, building a new future in Markham, and eventually becoming a proud grandmother to five. But one of the most unexpected and meaningful chapters of her life began with a visit to North York General.

Fifteen years ago, Roshan came to NYG for a lumpectomy after a biopsy raised concerns. “When you’re dealing with the possibility of cancer, you’re emotionally all over the place,” she recalls. But the care she received left a lasting impact. “The nurse who brought me in just sat with me. She took the time to calm me down before the doctor came in — I had never experienced that kind of care before.”

Her biopsy came back negative, but she underwent the lumpectomy as a precaution. The experience stayed with her — a deeply personal brush with cancer that would, years later, connect even more poignantly to her daughter.

Today, Roshan’s youngest daughter, Dr. Shaheen Doctor, works in NYG’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. She, too, has been treated for breast cancer at the hospital — a parallel journey to her mother’s, and a shared testament to the care NYG continues to provide.

It’s this deeply personal connection — as both a patient and a parent — that inspired Roshan to start giving back. At first, it was through occasional donations. But eventually, she felt compelled to do more. “It felt right to commit in a more regular, ongoing way,” she says of becoming a monthly donor.

That choice holds a beautiful symmetry: her contributions now support the very place where her daughter dedicates herself to helping others — creating a full-circle legacy of care, compassion, and community.

Dr. Shaheen Doctor has had a number of offers to work elsewhere — but she’s chosen to stay at NYG. “She even organizes the NICU Holiday Bake Sale to raise funds for the Annual Peewee Picnic for NICU graduates and their families,” Roshan beams. “She’s incredibly committed to her profession, to her NYG team and to her patients. I’m so proud of her.”

For Roshan, supporting NYG isn’t just a way to give back — it’s a way to honour the care that helped her, the hospital that supports her daughter, and the patients who continue to walk through its doors every day.

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