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Tecumseh widower fighting to speed up repatriation of remains

Edward Haddad just wants his wife to be back home.

The Tecumseh man was recently widowed when his wife, Noha Salameh, died three days after becoming ill with a blood condition. Now, on top of mourning the loss of the love of his life and caring for the couple's nine-month-old twins, he's having trouble transporting his wife's body back to her native Lebanon.

"When it's over I'll relax, but until it's over I will never relax," he said. "My wife is sitting somewhere in Toronto, I don't know where, I don't know what's going on there."

Salameh's body was embalmed on Monday, a family viewing was held on Tuesday and on Wednesday her body was flown to Toronto but her journey has since stalled.

Haddad said officials have told him the trip can't continue until all of the Canadian paperwork is processed, which could take anywhere from a few days to weeks.

The father argues the transportation process should be faster for grieving families and hopes his story can help change laws to make the undertaking less painful for other people in mourning.

"What I'm going through is not easy. What they, her family is going through is not easy at all and until we bury her we will never rest," he said. "All we're waiting for is like documents from office to the other."

Haddad said he plans to continue his fight in the memory of his wife until change is brought about.

"I loved her since day one and every day after that I love her more than the day before," he said. "She was the greatest thing that ever happened to me."