SaltWire E-Edition

Newcomer overcomes barriers to find new life in New Glasgow

KIM DICKSON Kim Dickson is director of communications for Glen Haven Manor.

“We want to live in peace for our daughters and for them to know they can pursue whatever dreams they chose.” Khodor Ramlawi

NEW GLASGOW, NS– Khodor Ramlawi, is a highly educated professional, with an impressive work ethic and deep passion for his chosen profession in health care. Yet the road to achieve these dreams has been a very difficult one for this talented young man, despite repeatedly doing everything right to make it so.

Khodor’s indominable spirit, talents, a noble sense of purpose, a strong faith and a loving family along with some unexpected allies all converged to become the winning formula which enabled him to finally succeed.

Now a valued member of the Glen Haven Manor team, working as a Continuing Care Assistant for the past seven months, Khodor’s life has been transformed by a new opportunity and a new home in Canada. He is making a positive impact very quickly in long term care and is a valued member of the community at large.

This gifted newcomer to Canada is also part of a pioneering global recruitment initiative that began in 2019 and includes partners such as Glen Haven as the lead employer, the Pictou County Regional Enterprise Network, Talent Beyond Boundaries, Refuge Point, and others.

“Khodor brings exceptional credentials and skills to his role,” says Glen Haven Manor’s Employee Relations Specialist Janice Jorden. “His experience as a trauma nurse and paramedic are impressive and he has adapted very well to his new role. He is very interested in bridging his credentials but also is extremely committed to being a highly contributing member of the care team as a CCA.”

Lisa MacKinnon, an LPN at Glen Haven, agrees, saying having Khodor as part of the Glen Haven team has been “an absolute joy.”

“I am in awe of the breadth of his experiences,” says MacKinnon. “He applies the same values and aptitude to his work here as he did in Lebanon and is very keen on continuous learning and to contribute to quality continuing care in Canada. Khodor is very skilled and compassionate to our residents. It has been so enlightening to learn of his personal experiences as well as his professional background. He adds a dimension to our team that brings a bright light.”

Khodor says the residents of Glen Haven mean the world to him.

“They are like my parents or my grandparents. They are my family,” he says. In my job as an emergency nurse, there was not a lot of time with each patient. It would be 10 to 15-minute emergency visit. I love having more time and to get to know those I am providing care for. I am very happy to be beside them.

Khodor tells of a friend who just happened to work for Talent Beyond Boundaries who told him of the work being done by TBB to recruit skilled refugees for work in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The nongovernment organization, co-founded by John Cameron from Melbourne/London; Bruce and Mary Louise Cohen from Washington, D.C. has offices in New York, London, Toronto, Lebanon, Jordan, and Australia, and is known worldwide for providing support to those forcibly displaced to be able to use their skills and talents to move towards secure futures. It was TBB that introduced Khodor to his future Pictou County employer.

Canada was the dream country for Khodor and his family, so he applied with this destination in mind, and a month later TBB told him about Glen Haven’s interest in candidates matching his expertise and an interview was arranged through Skype.

“Khodor did extremely well in the interview,” recalls Glen Haven CEO Lisa M. Smith. “His reference checks were impeccable. We used the same high hiring standards as we do for any applicant, whether local, from another part of

Canada or international. The skilled refugees we have interviewed to date such as Khodor have been exceptional. We are so fortunate to have him join our Glen Haven Manor team and he is thriving. I expect great things from Khodor.”

The young health care professional excelled in school from an early age, but this was not always enough. His heart still aches when he speaks of the time his mother went to register him for the next level of education after elementary school, only to be told that he was refused entry, despite his top of the class standing and outstanding academic performance. The son of a Lebanese mother and Palestinian father, Khodor and his siblings, were given no rights in Lebanon because their father’s heritage. This meant opportunities were often forbidden, academic accomplishments overlooked, and extraordinary work performance were rarely acknowledged. Palestinians living in Lebanon are not allowed to travel to the Gulf or any Arabian countries because of their status and there are major career roles, they are not permitted to take on such as a doctor or a lawyer or engineer. He then had to attend a refugee school (UNRWA), which is connected to the United Nations, and he explains this was an especially hard time because he was feeling so dejected at the many roadblocks he had faced just because of his identity.

But with great fortitude and ongoing encouragement, first from his parents and then his wife, Khodor found the strength to continue to work hard, to demonstrate his promise and map out his dreams. He went on to attend university, receiving scholarships because of his high marks and then became a registered nurse in a hospital.

Once more, the barriers of being Palestinian put him at the lowest pay grade at this workplace even though he held much responsibility, but he persevered. Finally, an opportunity opened at a Canadian Lebanese hospital where Khodor says you could get credit for what you do and are able to contribute and succeed.

“When I was there, opportunities finally came,” he adds.

During his time at this hospital, a specialist, who Khodor worked with, was about to take a job with the internationally known, Doctors Without Borders, and before leaving approached him to also join this well-known international organization. Khodor seized this new challenge and it resulted in another salary increase because of the calibre of his work and credentials. He then became a professional emergency nurse and completed specialization in this area at an American University in Beirut.

Upon completion of these additional credentials, Khodor became a trainer of trainers among paramedics and did a lot of his training in a refugee camps where there were many clashes and health care needs. He tells that within the camp, Palestinians who were doctors, engineers, and nurses were often given no respect and walls surrounded the camp. He also did advance trauma life support to stabilize causalities and support injured people from 2012-2020.

Khodor’s wife Maya, who is also a university graduate, had a career as a deputy manager in human resources. The two met in 2014 and now are the proud parents of two beautiful little daughters and Maya is also in pursuit of continuing her career.

“Whatever you sow when you are young, you will reap in older age,” says Khodor. “Be sure to sow the beautiful so that you will reap a more beautiful tomorrow.”

With his hand on his heart, Khodor expresses his gratitude to his wife for her unwavering love and support to help him achieve his dreams and to Glen Haven that will forever have a place in his heart.

“My new job is everything,” says Khodor. “They are not my residents; they are my family. Like a mother, father, or grandparents. I love them and want to give them care and support.”

Both Khodor and Maya still worry about their parents and brothers and sisters, who are also university graduates, and the uncertainty they must endure in Lebanon.

“We want to live in peace for our daughters and for them to know they can pursue whatever dreams they chose,” says Khodor. “They can be a doctor, a nurse, a lawyer- whatever they work towards. Dreams should have no age. We should all be able to dream.”

New Glasgow News

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2021-07-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-22T07:00:00.0000000Z

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