Canadian Immigrant Opened Shop to Help Cancer-Stricken Brother and to Support the ‘Lifeboat Scheme’

Mavis, a Canadian immigrant, opened a department store for his cancer-stricken brother. At the same time, she hoped that the place would become a community store and a rendezvous of Hong Kong people. To show her support of the "Lifeboat Programme" she took hiring Hong Kong people there as a priority to help the newly arrives. Courtesy of Marvis

The year 2019 was an extraordinary year for Mavis and her family. As a Hongkonger who emigrated to Canada this was particularly harsh to swallow. She was then 10 months into her pregnancy and was expecting the arrival of the new-born anytime soon. Just as life and work of the two siblings (Mavis and her younger brother, Gary) were getting on the right track, the news that Gary was diagnosed with bone cancer, upended all those and made her feel completely devastated. Coupled with all the news received daily via the mobile apps about the social unrest in Hong Kong, Mavis was doubly worried. She said to her herself, “I am in Canada for a stable environment, what can I do for Hong Kong people who are behind bars?” Very quickly an idea popped up in her mind...

Gary started to have severe pain in his foot 3 years ago, which was then diagnosed as being caused by a tumour in his foot, a symptom of bone cancer. Courtesy of Marvis