Rajvir Singh Jhooty M.D.

Dr. Rajvir Singh Jhooty (known to others as Ritu, Raj, Sona, and Dada) was born on September 22nd, 1972 in Ludhiana, India. He attended Sacred Heart Convent School, where his drive and commitment to learning led him to be one of the strongest students in his class. In 1986, at the age of fourteen, he immigrated to Buffalo, NY with his parents and his brother.

Ritu’s educational path was a testament to his character: hardworking, determined, and resilient. While attending Williamsville North High School, Ritu’s mathematical genius prompted teachers to advise him to take math classes at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Later, with the goal of becoming a doctor, Ritu graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1994 with a bachelors in biology. He went on to attend the Ross University of New York medical school and graduated with his MD degree. After completing his first year of his internal medicine residency in Buffalo, he transferred to Legacy’s program in Portland, Oregon. In 2005, he finished his internal medicine residency and joined OHSU as a hospitalist with aspirations to become a cardiologist.

While finishing medical school, Dr. Rajvir Jhooty married Dr. Ameet Cheema on December 31st, 1997. Ameet grew up in Patiala, India, and began practicing medicine at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo after coming to the states with Rajvir. Together, they traveled the world, visiting New York City, NY; Baltimore, MD; Atlantic City, NJ; Vancouver, BC; Kelowna, BC; Whistler, BC; Seattle, WA; Las Vegas, NV; Reno, NV; Grand Canyon, AZ; Los Angeles, CA; Clearwater, FL; Toronto, ON; and India. Alongside his travels, Ritu had a diverse range of interests and enjoyed football, tennis, skiing, golfing, and fishing. Soon, their family, full of light and love, grew: in 2002, the couple was blessed with a son, Sartaj, and later a daughter, Meher, in 2006.

In early July, 2006, Ritu noticed that his left thigh was thinner than his right when planting shrubs in his new house. Within weeks, the doctors confirmed that the loss of muscle mass was due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). They gave him three to five years to live. Ritu’s faith in God, the love he received from his family, and the strength he got from watching his kids grow up enabled him to defy the odds and lived 14 years with ALS.

Nothing about the timing or the nature of his illness was fair. When faced with the diagnosis, rather than giving up, Ritu decided to face it head on. He was a fighter whose will came from his faith and devotion to God, Waheguru. In November 2009, Ritu’s disease had progressed, leading him to undergo a tracheostomy and the placement of a feeding tube. Still, he accepted the will of Waheguru and always found the joy in life, even when physically limited to a bed and wheelchair.

Ritu was simply a joyous person. He loved to watch sports, including football, baseball, and basketball. As a true Buffalonian, he was a diehard fan of the Bills, spreading the Buffalove to the entire family with his energetic and lively personality. He was a self-taught dancer of Bhangra which he performed with his Bhangra group at New York State University. With his “high on life” presence, he always had the whole audience on their feet, dancing and jumping to the beat of the Punjabi music.

More than that, he lived for his kids. They were his strength to persevere and his commitment to them was truly admirable. In fact, on his own birthdays, Ritu would get gifts for his children to surprise them with when they were little.

Raj’s selfless nature was evident in more ways than one: He was actively involved in brain-computer interface research to one-day help other ALS patients.

On September 28th, 2020 he was admitted to the hospital as a result of complications arising from advanced ALS. Surrounded by family, Ritu passed away peacefully on November 4th, 2020 at 3:40 PM. He attained the ultimate truth, “Sach Khand,” and united with his creator.

Ritu was “larger than life” in our family. Despite being bound to his room or his wheelchair for the majority of his illness, we all still gravitated towards him. His infectiously positive energy, charming smile, and sparkle in his eyes was magnetic, and will be missed dearly.

In his last words, Ritu said to “live your feat” and to “bag every last laugh and each laugh,” just as he always did.

Feat: An achievement that requires great courage, skill, or strength.