If you ask Mohamed Jaffer to share what he likes most about Wellspring Alberta, he grins, as if to demonstrate his answer.
“At Wellspring, you enter the building with a smile … and you leave with a smile. Now that says a lot about a place that’s for people with cancer,” he said.
A Colourful Past
Mohamed and his wife Nassim, now retired for over a decade, have an interesting back story. Both are of Indian origin and were born in Dar es Salaam, the largest city in Tanzania. Ironically though, they shared the same surname at birth, they were not related, and they did not meet each other in Dar es Salaam, but found each other several years later in Canada.
Mohamed, first educated in England, found his way to Calgary, where his brother had settled, and with a background in the utility industry, he enjoyed a long, prosperous career with ENMAX. Nassim left Tanzania as a young adult to work as an au pair and then as a secretary in Paris, France. Eventually, she too made her way to Canada, first taking an administrative role in Montreal, and later landing in Calgary, where she worked in the transportation industry.
By sheer and happy coincidence, and thanks to family ties, the pair met and were married in Montreal in 1983, where both their families resided.
When Nassim was 41, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of going to university, where she obtained a sociology degree and went on to work in marketing till her retirement.
Topping both their lists of Calgary highlights … the 1988 Winter Olympics. Nassim volunteered as a National Olympic Committee (NOC) Host for the French-speaking Moroccan team, while Mohamed participated in the Alberta segment of the Opening Ceremony. Then, in recognition of Nassim’s hard work for the Moroccan team, Mohamed was given the NOC Guest status by the Moroccan IOC Member.
The Rest is History
Now, well into their 70s, Mohamed talks about the good life they’ve had, working, travelling, and being active in their faith and cultural community.
After retirement, they relocated to Edmonton to enjoy the added bonus of being close to their only daughter and their two precious granddaughters.
Then cancer came into their lives.
“First, it was Nassim. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 aggressive breast cancer in December 2022. Then her first chemo treatment landed her a week’s stay at the U of A Hospital. Just after she was discharged, the following May in 2023, while she was still undergoing her treatments, I was diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer,” said Mohamed.
Amid all the turmoil, Mohamed and Nassim are overwhelmed with compassion for others.
“What really breaks our hearts is seeing the young people with cancer at the hospital. We have lived such good and full lives already, but they are in their prime. It makes us feel very sad for them,” he said.
For Nassim, the diagnosis led to two surgeries, five rounds of chemotherapy, and 20 rounds of radiation. She will be undergoing hormonal treatment for another three years, so she is often overcome with fatigue. For Mohamed, the best course of treatment was deemed to be 25 sessions of radiation followed by 18 months of hormone treatment. Since the completion of the treatments, he too struggles with fatigue as well as some brain fog, or he says that’s his excuse when he does not recall what Nassim has told him.
In November 2025, Mohamed was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. While this is the most common and least dangerous type of skin cancer, it is very uncommon for people with dark skin. It was removed, and he will continue to be observed.
Despite all of that, nothing stops this couple from enjoying their granddaughters.
“We attend most, if not all, of their outdoor and indoor performances and activities all year round, in the vain attempt to enable them to use up their bottomless well of energy. Of course, there are sleepovers and occasional babysitting too,” he said. The whole family has also gone on holidays together.
Wellspring Alberta Hits the Spot
For Mohamed and Nassim, Wellspring has served as a place of activity, kindness, and joy. They were first introduced to it through ACE (Alberta Cancer Exercise), which is operated out of Wellspring, and they soon found themselves sampling some Wellspring programs, including Discovery through Writing, Qigong, Tai Chi, Pole Walking, and Improve Your Breathing.
Nassim especially enjoys the spirit of community, noting that after the sessions are over, she always heads over to the coffee space to meet up with other people and share stories about their lives.
“We’ve met so many wonderful people at Wellspring, and all the programs are amazing. We especially like the ones you don’t have to get up too early for,” said Nassim, laughing, adding, “With this fatigue, neither of us functions well in the morning, or maybe we are getting old!”
Mohamed has shared and heard other people’s experiences in the Men’s Group sessions, and Nassim found good information in the Nourish program. Both are grateful they can pick and choose programs that suit their schedule and meet their needs.
“We feel quite lucky that we have such an amazing place to go to lift our spirits. It’s a really good and welcoming community at Wellspring, and you always leave feeling happy and re-energized,” said Mohamed.