The widow of the Saanich man who died last month after being struck by an out-of-control car, has given birth to twin boys.
Meena Devi, 27, gave birth Monday morning (Nov. 20) in Victoria General Hospital. The boys were delivered by caesarean section more than a week early to avoid a medical complication that had been monitored in one of the twins, said family friend Gurinder Bawa.
The pair were born at 8:36 and 8:39 a.m., and do not yet have names.
The twins will never get the opportunity to meet their father, 31-year-old Khushal Rana, a Sizzling Tandoor chef who was killed when a 25-year-old woman’s SUV struck him on the sidewalk of Gorge Road on Oct. 18.
Rana also left behind his four-year-old son, Ankush, giving his wife Meena three boys. When the trio are released from hospital they’ll return to the home of Kamlesh and Prahlad Singh, family friends who are helping take care of Ankush and Meena.
SEE ALSO: Chef struck by car dies in hospital
“It’s going well, the boys are healthy, Meena is healthy,” said Bawa, who employed Rana at his Sizzling Tandoor Uptown location. “The support is from everyone, not only us but whoever heard [their situation] whether they know her or not.
“We are very thankful to Kamlesh and Prahlad, and to everyone,” Bawa said.
Rana moved to Canada less than four years ago and was only joined by Devi and Ankush in April.
The support Devi is getting has come in many forms as she speaks little English and relied on Rana for income. A GoFundMe page has raised $125,000, members of the Khalsa Diwan Society Sikh temple on Topaz donated $12,500, members of the Gurdwara Singh Sabha Sikh Temple on Cecelia donated more than $4,000, and Yellow Cab drivers collected and delivered more than $4,000. A local Hindu temple contributed too, Bawa said.
The public has also dropped off personal cheques and baby items such as diapers to the Sizzling Tandoor restaurants.
Some of the money is going towards the travel and paperwork costs of bringing Devi’s mom to Saanich to assist the young family. Rana and Devi came from Dehradun, the capital city of the Uttarakhand state of India.
“The passport is in her hands, it’s just a matter of paperwork now,” Bawa said. “The Topaz Sikh Temple is helping to get her here.”
Saanich Police has not recommended any charges against the driver, saying the investigation is ongoing.
