'He was everything for me': B.C. family mourning dad who died saving son
A father from Burnaby, B.C., who managed to save his son from drowning last weekend has died in hospital.
The loss of Bakir Junaideen on Wednesday left a big hole in the hearts of his family and friends.
"I'm not OK inside because Bakir was the man for me. He was everything for me," said Farzana Abubakker, his wife of 23 years.
The pair married in Sri Lanka before moving to Canada.
Two decades and two children later, they were still happily married before his life was tragically cut short.
On Sunday, the family went to Davidson's Pool, a popular swimming hole in Maple Ridge, and there was a tubing mishap.
The couple's nine-year-old son Zaid fell, and Junaideen rushed to help him.
"He was drowning and he pushed me to a shallow end but it was still pretty deep," Zaid said. "So then somebody helped me and put me on a floatie. And they couldn't find my dad.”
Junaideen sank underwater for more than seven minutes, until Rob Payne, a nearby resident, dove into the river and pulled him out.
Payne and a few strangers tried to resuscitate him before an ambulance arrived.
"It was a heavy day," he told CTV News.
"I fell on the ground and all I could do was just pray right there," said Abubakker.
"I'm a Muslim and I have Muslim faith. All I asked was just 'Give me my husband back,' because I need him for my sons," she continued.
At 57 years old, Junaideen left a mark on the community, his wife said.
She was impressed to see hundreds of people visiting him in the hospital while he was on life support.
She described Junaideen as someone who was humble, honest, creative and soft-spoken.
"Not just a hero in the way that he died, but in the way that he lived. He was a legend. A legend of a human,” said family friend Renu Goodenough. “He really loved his kids. He was so proud of his family.”
Now a single mother, Abubakker and her family are looking for financial support.
Junaideen's nephew Mohamed Razi launched a GoFundMe on the family's behalf and has raised more than $45,000 so far.
A funeral is planned for Junaideen on Sunday near Deer Lake.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery caught on video
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
New evidence challenges the Pentagon's account of a horrific attack as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan: CNN exclusive
New video evidence uncovered by CNN significantly undermines two Pentagon investigations into an ISIS-K suicide attack outside Kabul airport, during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.