NOVEMBER 2011

DOCTORS continued from page 23
could pay for their education.”
Jessica Kado said talking shop
is a natural when the siblings get
together. “My mom and dad put
their two cents in as much as we
do,” she said. “And when my sister
and I were pregnant, being a doctor
did not help us at all. We just
did whatever our mom told us to.”
Giving Back
Auraha helped found the Chaldean
American Medical Student
Association (CAMSA) during
her sophomore year. The group
has held several fundraisers for
Adopt-a-Refugee-Family and,
most recently, Project Bismutha.
Their latest effort, held on August
28, included some 60 medical
students doing a 5K run/walk
on Belle Isle. The event raised
$2,500 for Project Bismutha.
“It seems like there is an increase
in Chaldean medical students,
and the older ones are giving the new ones
support and advice,” said Auraha.
Over at Michigan State, Mansour and fellow
student Devone Mansour (no relation) also started
a CAMSA chapter. Ramy Mansour said he had
about six or seven fellow Chaldeans in his class on
the Detroit campus.
Jessica Kado noted that earlier generations
The physician-heavy Kado family celebrates the medical school graduation of Karl Jr (in hat)
last June. Pictured are Stephanie (front left), Nicole, Jenna, Julie Ann, Jessica, Rachel (second
row left), family friend St. Mahdoukh (a nun visiting from Iraq), parents Karl and Julie, Karl Jr.,
Kimberly, Herman, Ruba; Brian (top row left) and Luke.
often did not emphasize higher education as
they struggled to make ends meet.
“It seems like the community has just made
that transition over to medical school. There is
a whole wave of people being educated instead of
doing the family business,” she said.
Elyas sees more families encouraging their children
to become doctors. “Medical school is free in
Iraq but here it is very expensive,” he noted. “We
have been here long enough to support
our kids to go to medical school because
financially we are doing much better.”
The future physicians hope to incorporate
their language skills into
their practices. Many are first generation
so have a decent grasp on
Chaldean and/or Arabic.
“I speak a little Arabic and when I
absolutely need to use it, it comes out
naturally. I don’t know how,” laughed
Mansour. “I may make my parents
speak only Arabic to me so I can
learn it better. Because I was born in
Iraq, I don’t want language to be the
reason I can’t help someone.”
Roumaya knows some Chaldean
from speaking with her grandmother.
“I’ve tried some translating in the hospital,”
she said. “I can ask what I need
to ask, but I have to pause to think.”
Auraha also speaks Chaldean and
has taken three years of Arabic. It’s
already coming in handy.
“Even at Beaumont I come across
many Chaldeans who don’t speak
English,” she said. “I recently did a
full history and exam in Chaldean. I surprised myself
that I could do it.”
Yeldo said he is looking forward to returning
to his native Michigan. “I miss working with my
community, Chaldean and otherwise,” he said.
“I am so excited to be able to come back home
and take care of people I have such a strong
connection to.”
Dr. Tiffany Kays Zair is now seeing patients
in your neighborhood
at the new Dearborn Town Center and in Detroit.
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313.945.7724
4700 Schaefer Road, Ste 165
Deaborn, MI 48126
On the southeast corner of Michigan
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24 CHALDEAN NEWS NOVEMBER 2011