'I had to leave with a heavy heart': Sharmila Amlani on dealing with loss and grief as a new Canadian
"I was with my mom when she [took] her last breath."
This story is part of Becoming Canadian, a year-long project sharing stories of struggle and triumph from new Canadian citizens.
"It would have been a very different thing if my mom would have been with me when I got my citizenship. Me and my mom came together to this country in 2002. My mom was here until 2008 when we went back to India and then she was sick there after a couple of years. We planned to bring her back here because she was turning 65 and we had filed for her citizenship. We had received letters from immigration about coming and getting her citizenship certificate, and the ceremony and everything, but the doctors advised her to stay there because she was not in a situation to travel. She was treated for cancer in India where she passed away after 11 months of being diagnosed. When I went back to India I was literally shocked to see my mom. She had lost about 20 kilograms of her weight. I couldn't recognize her. I couldn't speak. I was stunned. But I was very fortunate to be with her."
I was with my mom when she [took] her last breath.
"I was with my mom when she [took] her last breath. When she passed away, when it was time for me to leave that house where my mom lived with my brother, I don't think I can express in words how I felt at that time. I was completely shattered. Eventually I had to leave India with that heavy heart."
— Sharmila Amlani, born in India. Lives in Toronto, became a Canadian citizen on May 24, 2016 in Toronto.
To find more stories about the struggles and triumphs of new Canadian citizens, follow Canada 2017 on Facebook and @BecomingCDN on Instagram and Twitter.