Chef Sahar Siddiqi is the Executive Chef of Chai Pani - the host for Side by Side’s Recovery Brunch on 5/31. We asked Sahar to share her personal experiences with acquired brain injury and her connection with the mission of with Side by Side.
“My grandfather suffered a stroke when I was around eight years old. The entire right side of his body was paralyzed and he was immediately put into a facility to help him. He’s passed now but it was really challenging, especially for my mom who assumed a lot of the responsibility to be his caregiver. I remember it being very frustrating for her because we struggled to find him the right care.
It was very challenging. You want the best for your parents and grandparents, and a lot of these facilities don’t offer that to the extent they should. It was just really sad to see such a strong, proud man being like forced to be taken care of because he didn’t have an option.
My grandfather was in the British military in the Navy, so just to see this completely other side of him was hard for our family. But it was also really remarkable because we spent so much time sitting next to him and just him telling us these stories. His brain was still so sharp, even in those end days. The paralysis obviously effected his mobility, but he would remember these stories from being in the Navy, going through the Bermuda triangle and about his captain. He had a very distinct memory, still very sharp and bright but just could not move to take care of himself.
Side by Side does such incredible work for people who suffer brain injuries. One of our staff has a sibling who attends their day program and just seeing the progress he’s made and knowing what an impact they make in the community is just wonderful. It’s really important work, helping people function in their everyday life and be a part of their community again.
It’s an absolute honor to help host the Recovery Brunch. The whole reason why I do this is to bring people together and to support different causes and community. Side by Side is just such a wonderful organization to support, and we’ll have a lot of fun doing it together with all these wonderful chefs.”
— Sahar Siddiqi, Executive Chef of Chai Pani Decatur