When people talk about the “Canadian dream,” I think of my mom.
After my father passed away in war-torn Iraq, my mother made the impossible decision to leave everything behind and start over. She arrived in Canada with five young kids and just $500 to her name. No English. No family. No plan—just hope.
Growing up, we didn’t have much. But we had her. She worked five minimum wage jobs—doing whatever it took to make sure we never felt the full weight of our circumstances. Somehow, even with all the long hours and late nights, she still managed to pack our lunches, help with our homework, and show up to school plays and late-night sports events.
It is thanks to her that my four siblings and I are all here today. My oldest sister is a practicing pharmacist. My second oldest just completed her dental board exams and is set to start working this summer. My older brother is finishing his third year of dental school in Hungary, and I’m wrapping up my first year of dental school at Western. And now, our youngest sister has just been accepted to Western Dentistry—on track to be white coated this September.
That makes five for five. Five siblings, all white coated—or about to be. Five children raised by one extraordinary mother who somehow turned a future filled with uncertainty into one filled with purpose. She never told us we had to become doctors. But she showed us what it meant to be strong, compassionate, and unrelentingly determined—values that led each of us, in our own time, toward healthcare. Even today, she reminds us that she doesn’t care what we do, as long as we love it and try our best to be the best at it.
This isn’t just a personal milestone. It’s the result of every grocery bill she struggled to cover, every birthday gift she gave up, every silent tear she shed when the world felt too heavy. She never asked for praise, but she deserves a world of it. I think about the magnitude of what she did every single day.
To be honest, I never thought I’d share this story publicly—my siblings tend to be more private. But I’ve always been the loud one in the family (especially online), and this Mother’s Day, I want the world to know that behind five future and current healthcare professionals stands a woman who made something out of nothing.
There are many stories of resilience in this country. This one’s ours. And I hope it reminds someone else—especially a newcomer mom working the night shift while her kids sleep at home—that her sacrifices don’t go unnoticed.
Five for five white coats. All thanks to one extraordinary mother.
About the Author
Mony Madlol is a first-year dental student and Class President for the DDS Class of 2028 at Schulich. Follow him on Instagram (@moony.dentistry) and TikTok (@moony.dentistry).