Canadian heads into Iran to care for mother battling Alzheimer’s in an ICU

Adrian Ghobrial speaks with a Canadian man crossing into Iran to care for a family member unable to evacuate the region amid the ongoing conflict.

VAN PROVINCE, Turkiye - Since the beginning of the war, thousands have traversed the Kapikoy border crossing that separates Turkiye and Iran.

Many are fleeing the war in search of safe passage into Turkiye and beyond.

CTV National News has spent multiple days at the border crossing speaking with Canadians who shared their storiesabout leaving Iran.

There are also those headed in the opposite direction, into the confines of this conflict.

CTV News met one Canadian, who asked that we refrain from publishing his name to help protect his identity as he travels back to Iran. For this story, we’re calling him Amir, which isn’t his real name.

Amir travelled from Montreal to Istanbul, to Turkiye’s Van Province and the Kapikoy border crossing with a heavy heart. His mother, who lives in Tehran, has Alzheimer’s.

“It’s a really dangerous time right now to go to Iran, I wouldn’t be going unless I absolutely had to.My mother is very ill, she’s in the ICU, we don’t have anyone else to take care of her so I have to go take care of her,” said Amir.

His mother is 82 and his father is also in his 80s and unable to care for his wife on his own.

Sitting in a taxi after landing in Van Province, Amir tells the driver he’s going to Iran. The taxi driver asks for his destination a second time, just to be sure he heard him correctly.

“Iran, Iran,” Amir repeated.

En route to the border, Amir admitted he’s concerned about what he could come up against when he crosses over into Iran.

“Absolutely I’m worried, it’s dangerous, it’s a war zone,” said Amir.

Tehran, where his mother is located, is especially volatile. U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have rocked all corners of the city.

“I’m heading in while everyone is leaving. All my friends are telling me not to go because it’s a very dangerous situation,” he shared.

Amir said that due to the conflict, staffing at the hospital where his mother is located is sporadic. She needs constant stimulation as part of her therapy, and he simply can’t bear the thought of her sitting in a hospital bed by herself, while loud explosions echo through her hospital ward.

While far from ideal, Amir said he has one focus, “I’m just thinking about my mom, I have to take care of her, I’m not focused on myself right now, I’m focused on getting to her as quickly as possible,” he said.

Propelled in opposite directions, this war has done more than just cross borders, it has sent thousands like Amir down different, precarious paths, unsure what the road ahead will have in store for them.

For Amir, his personal sacrifice is all about family and his unwavering love and commitment to his mother.

“My mom and I have been very close since I was a child, the least I can do is be with her at this time of need,” he said.

Before driving away in his taxi, Amir looks back, smiled and said “Stay safe.”