WATCH ABOVE: A young man, who’s gone through a lifetime of tragedy, is turning to Calgarians for help. The 19-year-old lost his brother to murder, and now he just wants a proper burial site to honour his sibling. Global’s Nancy Hixt reports.
CALGARY – A 19-year-old who lost his brother to murder is asking for help from Calgarians so he can afford a proper burial site.
Mount Royal University student Chatim Metkurjock said he lost his whole world when he lost his brother, Gatleak Metkurjock.
“He was a great guy,” he said. “I wouldn’t call him my brother because he was everything to me. He was my mother, my father, my friend…everything.”
In just 19 years, Chatim has seen more tragedy than most people do in a lifetime.
The brothers were born in Sudan, and when war broke out and their father was killed, they ran. Chatim was just eight years old when they fled; Gatleak was seven years older.
The brothers ended up in Kenya, where they stayed in a refugee camp for several years.
“Probably without him I would be dead,” Chatim said.
Their dream of a better life began in 2010, when they came to Canada.
Gatleak was the provider. He worked tirelessly to take care of Chatim, and sent every extra cent he could afford to family still in Sudan and Kenya.
Gatleak was murdered at a house party in Calgary’s community of Bankview in January 2012.
“The world that meant a lot to me vanished in my face,” said Chatim. “I don’t even know what to do anymore.”
Chatim said he visits Gatleaks’ grave site almost every day.
“I just pray, talk, say stuff we had in the past…try to recreate things I didn’t tell him when he was alive, trying to thank him even though he’s not present.”
He says what’s missing is a headstone: a true symbol of the man Gatleak was.
“It’s just so hard right now, financially,” he said.
“I can’t afford to put the headstone on him, someone I love very much. I spend most of the time coming to visit him. There’s no place to come see him…it just really, really bothers me.”
Chatim said he wants to continue to support the people his brother supported, including other siblings still in Sudan and children from refugee camps in Kenya.
“I feel it’s my responsibility to take care of the rest that he was helping,” he said. “I didn’t want to tell them, ‘My brother is dead, now you can go away,’ so every little thing I get now, I still support those kids.”
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Chatim. You can visit the site for more information or to donate here.
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