It’s 3 a.m. and Parnian Hosseini’s phone is ringing insistently. ‘Red Cross, Parnian speaking. How can I help you?’. Parnian is a highly-trained volunteer who helps answer the 24/7 emergency assistance line, read about how she is using her skills to make a difference in the lives of those who are living through an emergency or disaster. 

Brandy Cherarmie lived through Hurricane Katrina, where she saw firsthand the help that the Red Cross provides. Since then, she has joined as a volunteer and and has travelled around Canada helping people impacted by emergencies and disasters. 

The evening in February began as a celebration of the Okotoks Dawgs baseball team at its annual banquet dinner – and ended early when the guest speaker had a medical emergency.

Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member and renowned sports journalist and author Bob Elliott was just minutes into his speech when he went into cardiac arrest and lost consciousness.
 

Earlier in 2019, students came together to come up with innovative solutions for the complex response to Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In this guest blog post, the winning team talks about their solution. 

Since the discovery of the Ebola virus, in 1976, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has experienced ten outbreaks. The deadliest one yet is currently ravaging the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri. We’re talking about thousands of people impacted – dozens of new cases are identified each day, limited access to affected populations, armed groups who are not helping the situation and the increasingly obvious threat of the disease spreading to bordering countries. However, what we are not hearing about are the real-life consequences of the virus on survivors, on their family and on their community.   
 

Joanna Stepien, a Canadian labour and delivery nurse, shares her experiences after going to Nhamatanda, Mozambique with the Red Cross transition team following Cyclone Idai.

We all have unique needs, so it makes sense that your emergency kit will also be unique. Read how Red Crosser Mahmood Jafari makes sure his emergency plan includes plans for his mobility during emergencies and disasters, and how those with impaired mobility can be ready. 

When a family travelling the world together had their trip turn to a literal disaster, the Canadian Red Cross was there to help.