Sask. doctor who died of COVID-19 remembered by loved ones as 'a man who made a difference'

Dr. Youssef Al-Begamy is being remembered for making everyone he met feel like his best friend.

"That's the impression that he leaves on anybody that's his character," close friend and colleague Fauzi Ramadan told CBC News at a prayer service Monday night.

Al-Begamy, a 48-year-old Saskatchewan family and emergency room physician, died of COVID-19 complications early Sunday morning, Ramadan confirmed.

The doctor was among the first Saskatchewan intensive care patients transferred to Ontario for treatment amid the province's fourth-wave bed crunch, Ramadan said. Since Al-Begamy had no family in Saskatchewan, Ramadan acted as his next of kin.

Once the doctor was moved to a hospital in Toronto, Ramadan kept track of his friend's declining condition always making sure to update his family back home in Saudi Arabia.

"We all feel sad. It's a tragic loss," Ramadan said. "It's as though I lost a son. It's not easy."

Plans are underway to have Al-Begamy's body transported to Saudi Arabia for the burial as per his mother's request.

'A very special person'

Marvin Huber, Al-Begamy's friend and frequent handyman, was one of dozens of people who attended a prayer service at the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Masjid mosque in Moose Jaw Monday night.

He saidhe remembers speaking to the doctor just hours before he was put on a ventilator last month.

"He told me he was ready and that he's accepted the fact that this might be the end," Huber said, adding Al-Begamy asked for prayers.

"It was just devastating."

Brad Thorpe, who worked with Al-Begamy years ago in the Moose Jaw emergency department, said he was also in touch with his friend shortly before he was intubated.

He said he wished Al-Begamy well via text message and received back three emojis: a heart, a thumbs up and prayer hands.

Thorpe noted he's remembering the doctor as someone who was "full of life" and always friendly.

"When you were being treated as a patient or whether you were standing next to him as a friend, you always felt like you were the most important person in the room," he explained. "He was a very special person a man who made a difference."

Family doctor urges vaccination

Sources tell CBC News that Al-Begamy was not immunized against COVID-19 and did not agree with vaccine mandates.

As a family doctor, Thorpe said he wants people to understand that no one no matter how healthy or active they are is immune to the virus.

"If there's anything we could learn from this, it's to take it seriously," he advised. "My take-home message is: vaccinate, wear your mask, physically distance and listen to people when they ask you to do these things."