We are raising money for Gulaab Khan who tragically lost his battle against cancer at the age of 18.

Gulaab was a refugee originally from Afghanistan who arrived in the UK late 2019, aged just 16, alone. He was subsequently adopted by Manchester City Council children services, the unaccompanied asylum seeking team and in 2020 was accomodated at Avensis Support.

Gulaab was an intelligent, proud and incredibly resillient individual, a keen sportsman and speaker of 5 languages. He posessed an impressively sharp sense of humour. 

In December 2020, at the age of just 17, he was diagnosed with an osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in his right leg, which had to be amputated in order to proceed with chemotherapy treatment. He faced every challenge that came towards him bravely, as he believed in a future. He believed that after recovery, one day, he would be married, have children and live a normal family life. A life he'd never experienced. In Gulaab's words (and we quote) "I want to live".

Gulaab fought a fierce and incredibly tough battle against cancer, without his family by his side to support him. Professionals involved attempted to fill this void, however due to covid this was not always possible, with Gulaab having to spend his 18th birthday in hospital without any of his known support workers or friends. Despite Gulaab's resilliance and deterimation he sadly passed away on the 6th of August due to complications of hepatitis and chemotherapy.

The professionals who supported Gulaab have united to take part in a dragon boat race, raising money for The Christie. Gulaab was  supported extensively there throughout his treatment. We believe this is a befitting tribute to Gulaab's life.