One of BC Women’s Health Foundation’s most dedicated supporters is Moiz Lalani. Moiz and his wife Nadia have been regular donors to the Foundation for several years, due to strong ties to BC Women’s Hospital.
Their relationship with the hospital goes back to the 1980’s when it was Grace Hospital. All four of their sons were born there, but their connection really manifested as a result of the birth of their twin boys, Aly and Hassan, in November 1989.
“Our youngest boys, the twins, were born premature, weighing only about 3 pounds each at birth,” Moiz recalls. This meant a lengthy stay in the neonatal intensive care unit BCWH (NICU), where the babies received excellent treatment and care that made a lasting impression on Moiz and Nadia. They came to understand the issues surrounding high-risk births, and the importance of skilled doctors and nurses and state-of-the-art equipment and programs.
In the years following, Moiz, a pharmacist, went on to become the owner of two Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Vancouver. “Many of our clients that came into the pharmacy after their deliveries at BC Women’s were saying a lot of really good things about the hospital, the doctors and the staff.”
When Moiz subsequently became president of the Shoppers Associate Owner Committee, moved by both his personal and professional experiences, he decided to direct committee donations to maternal and newborn initiatives at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre.
Moiz has since retired from his committee work, but his efforts were instrumental in forging a relationship between BCWHF and Shoppers Drug Mart which is still vital today – Shoppers is the Foundation’s most significant corporate partner.
Today, Moiz’s sons are grown and are parents themselves. Two of Moiz and Nadia’s four grandchildren were born at BC Women’s, just like their four sons. Moiz continues to strongly believe that new parents and babies receive exemplary care at the hospital, whether the births are normal or high risk. As such, he has generously donated to support several programs and projects.
One of Moiz’s favorite programs at BC Women’s is the milk bank, where breast milk from lactating women is collected and redistributed to babies throughout the province who need it. Moiz recently toured the milk bank with a family friend who works as a midwife in Kenya. She was very impressed and shared with Moiz that BC Women’s Provincial Milk Bank is one of the finest she has seen in her travels around the world. Moiz was equally impressed and commented that the milk bank would have certainly made a huge difference for their family when his twins were born.
Beyond their own personal contributions, Moiz and Nadia are passionate about inspiring others to give to charity. “To those considering donating to BC Women’s Health Foundation, I would emphasize the tangible difference their contributions can make in the lives of mothers, babies and families. Every donation, no matter the size, has the power to transform lives and support essential healthcare services.” With this in mind, Moiz and Nadia have partnered with the foundation to match all donations, dollar for dollar, that are made as a result of the Post Your Mom Love campaign.
BC Women’s Health Foundation would like to thank the Lalanis for their continued support, and all of the wonderful donors who make it possible to help fund the great work at BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre and the Women’s Health Research Institute.
Please give to BC Women’s Health Foundation this May. Your donation will be matched by Moiz and Nadia.
