446 THE ADVOCATE
dollar real estate mutual fund. In Calgary, Sanjeev showcased an expertise
in many fields, including securities, banking, corporate, commercial and
M&A work. Sanjeev excelled at Avenue Living and felt that he had finally
found a position that truly excited and challenged him.
In 2015, Caroline and Sanjeev welcomed the arrival of their daughter,
Avani. Sanjeev was a natural when it came to fatherhood. He adored Avani
and loved holding her close to his heart, allowing his inner softie to surface.
It later struck me how natural he was with children. The first time Sanjeev
met my son (who was one year old at the time), Sanjeev spent hours trying
to humour and entertain him. In turn, my son loved this goofy man willing
to lie in the grass with him and crack jokes.
Sanjeev was dedicated to helping other people dealing with FA and other
rare blood conditions. His mentorship and comfort were only a phone call or
text message away to anyone seeking it. He served on the board of the Aplastic
Anemia and Myelodysplasia Association of Canada and on the board of
Fanconi Canada, and he was also a member of the executive committee of
the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada’s “Light the Night” campaign.
Sanjeev was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in February
2018. He put every ounce of energy he had into fighting the disease. He documented
his battle on social media as a way to update his many concerned
friends and inspire other members of the FA community waging their own
battles with cancer. Through it all, Sanjeev maintained his mischievous and
kind spirit, making jokes in the direst of circumstances and always thanking
every doctor, nurse and hospital staff member he met along the way.
Despite Sanjeev’s passing far too early, he lived fully, as only a true underdog
could. His stubborn resiliency brought him more upset wins in the
game of life than anyone would have dared to predict.
Sanjeev lives on in his loving wife Caroline Parmar and his brilliant
daughter Avani Thi Kaur Parmar; his mother Deljeet Kaur Parmar and
father Balbir Singh Parmar; his brother Gurpreet Singh Parmar (wife Sejal
Parmar) and sister Simrin Kaur Parmar (husband Jean Bennett); his sisterin
law Christine Nguyen (husband Doug Hitchcock) and brother-in-law
David Nguyen (wife Anne Nguyen); eight nieces and nephews (Kashmir,
Akaash, Kavi, Tej, Claire, Lauren, James and Lydia); and countless other
adoring family members and friends.
A scholarship at the University of Victoria Faculty of Law has been set up
in Sanjeev’s name for students overcoming medical adversity. Details are
available at <extrweb.uvic.ca/donate-online/sanjeev-singh-parmarmemorial>.
Elliott Mak
VOL. 78 PART 3 MAY 2020