He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Mary-Lou, his children Timothy (Jeanette) and Joy (Dan), and his grandchildren (Allison, Leah, Matthew & Clark; Brennan & Rosalie). He is also survived by his siblings Jeanette, Margaret, and Fouad, many beloved nieces, nephews and great-nieces and nephews. Sherif is pre-deceased by his parents, Sami and Salma Hanna, and beloved brothers, John and Samir.
Dr. Sherif Sami Hanna grew up in the bustling city of Cairo, Egypt, born on July 23rd, 1948, to Sami and Salma Hanna, children of those who fled from violence in Turkey. The youngest of 6 brothers and sisters, he was always full of energy and joy, which never changed. As a teenager, Sherif dedicated his life to following Jesus and walking a life of faith, and that commitment to loving God and loving others was evident throughout his life. After completing his medical school in Egypt, he left for opportunities in Canada in 1970. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Toronto in 1976. During this time, he met his wife and soulmate, Mary-Lou. Their son Tim was born in 1977, and shortly after that, the young family travelled to Colorado for Sherif’s specialist training in liver transplant. From there, Sherif took a fellowship in Atlanta, Georgia, to study other advanced liver surgery practices. In 1980, he returned to Toronto, where he accepted a position as a staff surgeon at Sunnybrook Hospital. Soon after, Joy was born. Sherif remained at Sunnybrook for his whole working career until he retired in 2014. Over time, Sherif’s career transitioned from trauma surgery and research, where he worked in the early days of the provincial helicopter ‘air ambulance’ transport service, to cancer surgery. He was a renowned surgeon and teacher of procedures for cancers of the pancreas, liver, gallbladder and bile ducts. Sherif served as the head of the Division of General Surgery at Sunnybrook from 1992 - 2002 and was Head of the Surgical Oncology Program at the Odette Cancer Centre from 2001 - 2012. During his many years at Sunnybrook, he expanded the general surgery program and hired and mentored a cadre of exceptional women and men who are now the leaders of today at Sunnybrook and in other medical institutions around the world. He is remembered as a principled and genuine person who put his patients, their families and his colleagues first. Sherif drew his love of others and servant leadership style from his faith in Jesus and the examples of humility, grace, and epic love found in the pages of the Holy Bible. His leadership extended beyond his professional life and included terms as Chairman of the Board of Elders at Bayview Glen Church and as President of the Christian Medical and Dental Society of Canada.
Sherif, inspired by Dr. Albert Schweitzer, had a heart for global health long before it was called that and travelled to China many times to teach general surgery principles and, more specifically, liver surgery. He also founded CanMedSend – A program that supports new medical graduates to pay their student loans while they serve in hospitals in developing countries. When he ‘retired’ in 2014, he finished his Sunnybrook retirement party and, in a matter of days, boarded a plane with Mary-Lou to serve at Harpur Memorial Hospital in Menouf, Egypt – a rural city of over 200,000 in the Nile Delta, a bumpy two-hour drive from Cairo. There he worked with Dr. David Thompson and others to establish a Pan-African Academy of Christian Surgeons (PAACS) general surgery residency program that, by the time he left in 2021, was successful and producing highly skilled surgeons dedicated to serving the public in Egypt and beyond.
Even amid a busy professional life, Sherif’s devotion and dedication to putting his family first were evident to anyone who knew him well. He will be remembered as a loving husband, kind, generous and patient father, and devoted brother to his five siblings.
Only three months after his arrival back in Canada from Egypt in May 2021, he was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. He fought boldly against this disease with the love and support of his family, colleagues and friends. He underwent an Allogenic Bone Marrow Transplant at Princess Margaret Hospital on March 9th, 2022, which was initially successful. Sadly, the leukemia returned, and he courageously faced the last weeks of his life under palliative care at Sunnybrook Hospital, surrounded by those same people that he served and loved. He went to heaven on August 25th, 2022. How fitting he should pass in the very place he gave so many years of life in the service of others. Sherif will be deeply missed by Mary-Lou, his family, friends, colleagues and patients. He leaves a void in the world that only the seeds of love and service he planted in all of our hearts can ever fill.
Visitation will be held on Friday, September 2nd, at Kane-Jerrett Funeral Home, 6191 Yonge Street, Toronto, south of Steeles Avenue, from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm.
Funeral service will take place on Saturday, September 3rd, at 11 am at Bayview Glen Church, 300 Steeles Ave E.
Webcasting of the funeral service will be available shortly. Please click receive notifications or receive updates below to be informed of further information provided for Dr. Hanna's services.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider a donation in Sherif’s memory to the Sunnybrook Foundation or CanMedSend. Special links for donation and instructions will be made available in the days ahead. Please click receive notifications to receive further details.
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