Jaleh Sahandy - Obituary

r. Jaleh Sahandy passed away peacefully at her home in Annapolis on 20 January, 2016 at the age of 67. Jaleh was born in Isfahan, Iran and studied medicine at the University of Tehran, later moving to the United States to complete her residency in psychiatry at the University of Maryland. She is survived by her husband Dr. Parviz Sahandy, with whom she shared a private practice in Annapolis. She is also survived by her daughters Dr. Shirin Sahandy, Ms. Shamie Sahandy, and Ms. Sheida Sahandy, as well as her brother Dr. Amin Yazdanian. Jaleh was a supporter of progressive causes, and contributed generously to charities that serve vulnerable populations, both here and in Iran. She deeply valued the cultural traditions of her native country and shared these with her children throughout her life, especially her love of Isfahan and of Persian poetry. Jaleh was an adventurous traveller, visiting countries around the world, and exploring the Chesapeake Bay by boat with her husband. Doctors discovered the presence of benign brain tumors (meningioma) in 1983, but Jaleh did not become seriously ill until 2003. She struggled quietly and courageously against her illness for over a decade. In her final years, she dedicated herself to raising awareness about malignant meningioma in the hope of catalyzing research for a cure. In 2013, she published a memoir (Living with Brain Tumors) which vividly describes her experience with the disease, and which she wrote while struggling with the side effects of chemotherapy, radiation, and the illness itself. Her absence will be keenly felt by the many loved ones she leaves behind. Friends are invited to Jaleh's celebration of life at the George P. Kalas Funeral Home, 2973 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater, MD on Tuesday, January 26 from 11am until her funeral service begins at 12:00pm. Interment Lakemont Memorial Gardens, Davidsonville, MD. An online guestbook is available by visiting the link on this page.