I was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in 1967 and lived in Walmer and went to school at
Theodor Herzl. In 1980, after the Soweto riots
of 1976, Mom impressed on Dad to leave and we visited Canada in 1979 and then immigrated in 1980 to
join many close friends in Toronto. I was thirteen when we landed among a South African expat community at Bayview
and York Mills in North York and suddenly life was different. It was a second life. Five years after we emigrated, South Africa
exploded in rebellion and a state of emergency.
Today I live with my wife and two daughters in Toronto and our companion cat
and dog and run an ISP with my brother and develop websites. The most profound experience of my life was the life and death
of our first daughter Sasha Bella Stein-Blumberg. Sasha was born with the liver
disease Allagile Syndrome and a severe heart condition called pulmonary atresia. She
seemed to thrive through many proceedures and then suffered massive
complications at 18 months of age after a second cardiac surgery in December 2005.
We lived at SickKids Hospital for 5 months and then brought her home with the Max and Beatrice Wolfe Children's Centre
where we enjoyed 5 precious weeks until her death June 20, 2006 at 24 months.
We fundraise and work on family-centred care initiatives at SickKids as a tribute
to Sasha's life and death and a way to give back.
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Work
Loh's Ice Cream, The Keg, Camp NAORCA (Eagles counselor),
Blumbergs, Movenpick (waiter),
Temple Emanu-El (teaching assistant),
Project Dare (Growth Programme outdoor recreation instructor),
Camp Coleman (CIT instructor),
WM Company,
Scottish Claymores (store manager),
The Wire (President)
Sasha Bella Fund
As a directed family fund every dollar donated to SickKids via the Sasha Bella Fund for Family Centred Care
goes to our patient, family and staff projects.
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Education
Theodor Herzl Primary School
St. Andrews JHS
York Mills Collegiate Institute
Leaside High School
U of T - University, Innis and Woodsworth Colleges
Rothberg International School
Centennial College
George Brown College
Pursuits
SickKids family-centred care, reading, walks, friends
Sasha Bella Fund blog, website,
tweats and support Jonathan's 2009 Sasha Bella fundraiser for SickKids and Bloorview Kids Rehab.
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