Harrow (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A postmaster urges the community to join a fundraising walk in memory of Khushil Pandya, a Harrow teenager who died from a rare brain tumor.
By organizing a team for the London Twilight Walk on March 22, Postmaster Parimal Bhatt is spearheading efforts to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity.
There will be 5k and 10k routes for the walk, which will begin in Marylebone and past famous sites like Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Buckingham Palace.
How is a Harrow family’s fundraising walk honoring Khushil Pandya’s legacy?
After being diagnosed with DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma), a rare and aggressive brain tumor, Khushil, a resident of Harrow, passed away in 2021 at the age of 14.
His family has been collecting money for The Khushil Pandya Fund, which helps families impacted by brain tumors and medical research.
The goal of the walk is to bring in 1,000 participants, according to Parimal, who has post offices in Palmers Green, Brabazon Road in Hounslow, Ladywell Road in Lewisham, and Lymington in Hampshire.
More than 700 individuals, including students and instructors from Khushil’s school, have already registered.
Parimal Bhatt said: “My nephew, Khushil truly was and still is an extremely inspiring child. He was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour, aged 13 and sadly passed away just a year later. During that time, he always maintained calmness in any adverse situation.
Khushil was brilliant academically in every subject. He completed his Bronze Duke of Edinburgh in a wheelchair completing every single task before the time scales given.
His mental strength was so compelling that inspired everyone he knew – a great combination of strength and softness. He loved animals and wanted to be a zoologist and to be a research scientist.”
He added that he wants to raise as much money as possible to fund research to try to spare other families from the loss of a child from a brain tumour and to support those families facing this ordeal.
Even before Khushil was diagnosed, the family had been active with The Brain Tumour Charity for seven years.
Residents of Harrow are urged to support the cause by making a donation or participating in the walk. Donors can use JustGiving or Eventbrite to join up.
In order to offer 10 essential information packs for recently diagnosed patients or 10 DNA preservation tubes for scientific trials, the Khushil Pandya Fund is requesting that walkers pledge to raise £100.
Post Office matching funds up to £800 are available for donations at any of Parimal’s post offices.
What are the expected outcomes of the fundraising walk?
The main objective is to generate money for a certain cause, most commonly one that has to do with community support or health. It is suggested that participants pledge to raise £100 apiece, which might have a big effect on the selected charity as a whole.
By promoting involvement and a sense of community around a worthwhile cause, the event seeks to involve the local community. Future efforts may receive more support and awareness as a result of this.
In addition to raising money, the walk’s organizers intend to pay tribute to the teenager who was involved. Building emotional ties with sponsors and participants can be facilitated by this aspect of the program.
Such successful fundraising events have the ability to create relationships between organizations and donors, which may eventually result in continued support.