Born in Aleppo, Mary came to Chicago at the age of 23. She married Dr. Vartkes Najarian and settled in Cleveland. They were blessed with four children, Ara, Armen, Raffi and Maro.
In 1980, the family relocated to California.
Mary has been a strong supporter of her community always responding to its call.
Looking for ways to support the needs of their fellow Armenians, Mary and her husband founded Medical Outreach for Armenia. With community support, Medical Outreach has helped Armenia with over $45 million in medical supplies.
In 1988, after the earthquake in Armenia, Mary and her husband helped bring 110 victims for treatment to the United States. During the Karabagh war, Mary and her husband operated on wounded soldiers in trenches and later built a 19 bed emergency center with 2 operating rooms. In Yerevan, they renovated and furnished a 550 bed Veteran’s Hospital.
Mary has received medals from His Holiness Karekin the Second, three Armenian Presidents and twoDefense Ministers. She was honored by First Lady Rosaline Carter for her 15 years of service to the Red Cross Blood Mobile. In 2008, Dr. Vartkes and Mary Najarian received the Ellis Island Award.
