Amidst the heightened tension between Iran and the United States, Iran recently admitted to shooting down an air plane just outside Tehran, killing all 176 passengers aboard.
And while this is just a piece of news for most of us, one cannot imagine the pain and trauma that the families of the bereaved might be going through.
Unfortunately, 13-year-old Ryan Pourjam’s father Mansour Pourjam was also on that ill-fated flight. Mansour was born in Iran but moved to Canada to pursue his education. He earned his degree in biology at the Carleton University and went on to become a dental technician in Ottawa.
Ryan gave a heart-wrenching speech at a memorial service at Carleton University a week after this shocking incident. The service was attended by 200 people and we can imagine that there was not a single dry eye.
Ryan said that his father was a very positive person and encouraged him to be optimistic always. In one word, he described his father as a person that was ‘strong.’
And from the videos of the memorial shared online, looks like Ryan has certainly imbibed his father’s qualities.
The poise, grace, and strength that little Ryan shows in the face of this huge tragedy is a lesson for all of us.
While so many of us struggle to find the words to express our sadness over the many lives lost in last week’s horrific plane crash, 13-year-old Ryan — who lost his beloved father, Mansour — shows unbelievable poise in the face of extreme tragedy. We can all learn from Ryan. pic.twitter.com/L5fePoKiKN
— Catherine McKenna (@cathmckenna) January 16, 2020
Isn’t this just heart-wrenching? We hope and pray that no family has to go through what Ryan and his family are going through now. We also send our prayers and wishes to soothe Ryan’s pain and trauma.
0
