Maysoon sadly lost her life on 22 February 2011 due to the catastrophic collapse of the CTV Building as a result of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Christchurch. Maysoon was examining a patient at that time; she lost her life while she was doing what she has always been proud of and passionate about.

Maysoon returned to Iraq in 1981 and lectured at the Medical School of Al-Mustansiriya University, in Baghdad for several years teaching immunology (her MMedSci specialisation) before leaving Iraq with her family in 1991 when the first Gulf War broke out.

From 1991 to 1993 she worked at a medical practice in Algeria as a GP before moving to Amman, Jordan where she worked for 2 years (1994–1995) as an immunology specialist at Al-Bashir Hospital, the main hospital in Amman.

In September 1995 Maysoon and her family migrated to New Zealand and settled in Christchurch, the city she loved and considered home. From 1996 to 2003 Maysoon worked as a Research Fellow at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Christchurch School of Medicine, University of Otago. She was credited for establishing the cell immunoblot method, and set up the Western blotting for c-fos protein in gonadotroph cells where she published several papers on this subject.

Maysoon has important contribution to the research programme at the University of Canterbury bionanotechnologies that is now an integral part of the MacDiarmid Institute; Maysoon’s position as a medical researcher at the School of Medicine during her early years in Christchurch helped to connect the Medical School, Otago University and the School of Engineering, Canterbury University through her husband (Associate Professor Maan Alkaisi) to begin strong and successful bionanotechnology programmes.

Maysoon was a strong woman and very determined; she made her family believe in themselves and taught them how to achieve their best. She devoted her life for her family and loved her profession as a medical doctor treating patients from different cultures. She worked and lived in five different countries (Iraq, United Kingdom, Algeria, Jordan and New Zealand). She enjoyed travelling and exploring new cultures and she loved artwork and cooking.

In 2003 Maysoon decided to go back to clinical practice and managed to pass successfully the NZREX Clinical Training Programme. She worked at different departments in Christchurch’s main hospital and other hospitals (The Princess Margaret Hospital, Acute Psychiatry at Hillmorton Hospital).

Then in 2006 she joined the General Practitioner Training Programme and started working as GP in February 2007 in the West Coast for a rural attachment at High Street Medical Centre, Greymouth, and rural attachment at Westland Medical Centre, Hokitika which she enjoyed tremendously.

Due to family commitment she returned back to Christchurch to practice as a GP at the Moorhouse Medical Centre, 24 Hour Surgery, and lastly at The Clinic Medical Centre.

The respect and regard that Maysoon earned as a GP in the many, many tributes that have been posted online in her memory is demonstrated by the following examples from a patient, the Salvation Army, and a colleague respectively:

Maysoon was a wonderful wife, caring mum of three daughters, passionate doctor and will be missed dearly by her family, friends and patients. She worked very hard to see her family strong, successful and happy. Maysoon is best known for her infectious smile and that is how her family will always remember her and hope that everyone will remember her in that way too.

She is survived by husband Maan Alkaisi (Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Canterbury, Christchurch); and daughters Sarah Alkaisi (Consultant Software Engineer), Marwa Alkaisi (Associate Project Engineer) and Mariam Alkaisi (University of Canterbury Student Environmental Science).