In Memory of Faiza Khan

On November 2013, Faiza Khan was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer called Leiomyosarcoma. A beautiful mother of three beautiful children, Faiza had an inner strength and faith, that inspired everyone around her until the end. Determined to live for the ones she loved, she fought for 18 months, through 18 cycles of chemotherapy.

Faiza’s children Usarae Gul, Faizaanullah, and Mischa Gul lost their mother in March 2015. Months later, the siblings got together to launch a fundraising campaign. To raise money for cancer patients who don’t have the financial means to fight for their lives, they organized a Charity Tea Party in memory of their mother. We caught up with the three to talk about their campaign and the courageous woman who inspired it.

Can you tell us a bit about your mother?

Where do we begin! She was a delightful, intelligent, and kind person, who always had a smile on her face.

Amma graduated from RawalPindi Medical College in 1987 and practiced as a doctor for 28 years, in both Pakistan and England. A lady of many talents she had a great flare for creativity. Amma took great joy in decorating her beautiful home, and always remained impeccably dressed. Above all she was the most dedicated mother, wife and daughter. For her, the needs of the ones she loved always came first.

A well-mannered, generous and gracious lady who was a friend to all. A prayer she was particularly fond of, and definitely lived by was: ‘May Allah grant you ease, and give you the graciousness to pas it onto others.’

Throughout the treatment, her inner strength and faith amazed us all as she faced this cruel disease with such a sunny disposition. She gave us strength when she was most delicate; boldly leading us in a direction; never letting it show, that she herself was not quite sure where she was going. Now Amma rests. Surely we belong to Allah and to Him shall we return.

Why did you choose IKCA?

Our Amma was an extremely charitable person: letters still come through the post in her name, from all the charities she supported. She was an avid supporter of IKCA, from the first day it was set up. So it seemed like a natural choice for us to carry on supporting one of her favorite charities.

Why a tea party?

Amma loved to host parties for friends and family. Keen to reflect her optimism and love for life, we wanted to gather friends in a joyous celebration in memory of our delightful Amma. And only cake was sweet enough for her memory!

On August 15 we were blessed with a gorgeous summers day –a rarity in Manchester! Our family had a lot of fun baking and decorating the house in preparation. All in all it was a huge success. It was lovely to see our friends come from near and far to support us with generous donations and scrumptious cake. The house was truly filled with love, laughter and lots of sweet things… just as Amma would have liked. We included a charity raffle to encourage more donations and by the end of the five hours, we managed to raise £1150!

If you want to support Usarae, Faizaanullah, and Mischa’s campaign, you can still donate via their JustGiving page.

If you’d like to start your own fundraising campaign to help give poor cancer patients in Pakistan a fighting chance for their lives, check out our Fundraising Ideas, and contact us today!