Less than five months after he arrived in Canada for life-saving heart surgery, 10-year-old Djamshid Popal began his journey back home to Afghanistan Friday night.

Clad in a Toronto Raptors jacket and waving a tiny Canadian flag, Djamshid said a last round of thank-yous and good-byes at Pearson Airport before boarding a plane home with his father Shafiullah.

"I'm thankful to God that I'm all right, but I have been praying to God to go home,'' he said through a translator.

"I will miss the whole Canadian public. They helped me a lot. If Canadians want me to come back, I would love to study here.''

When Djamshid arrived in Canada last summer, he was emaciated, struggling for breath and barely clinging to life.

He was taken to Ottawa, where doctors at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario determined that three of his four heart valves were severely damaged. He was later was transported to Toronto Sick Children's Hospital in early August for heart-valve surgery.

The 10-year-old was discharged Oct. 13 and attended weekly appointments at the Toronto hospital for another month.

Djamshid and his father will have to live in Kabul for a while so Djamshid can be treated by a doctor arranged for by Sick Kids hospital in Toronto.

There are reports the change of address -- and the father's debt after selling his taxi cab to pay for his son's expenses -- have left the family with no means of living in Kabul.

That stirred up questions about what should be done with the balance of donations raised for Djamshid's care. The Muslim Association of Hamilton raised approximately $46,000 to cover his medical care and expenses. Up to $20,000 was left.

Popal was hoping to take that extra money home. But the leftover funds were donated to Sick Kids hospital to help other families.

Djamshid's father Shafiullah said he needs more money and doesn't know how his family will survive back home.

"I don't know what I'll do,'' he said. "I don't have enough to start (driving) a taxi again, but I will feed my kids.''

"Still, I'm happy. I had no hope (for Djamshid) but he got a second life from the Canadian public.''