Meet our Supporters: Simon Emmerson

‘I was most touched by the amazing work they are doing with patients. They seem to be making a real difference to the health care of both adults and children.’

IKCA’s Pakistan Challenge, this summer, was full of surprises, and one of them was running into Simon Emmerson. Team IKCA and our very own Volunteer and Events Coordinator, Shafiq Rafiq, met Simon on the trek up to the Fairy Meadows view point. When he recognised the Imran Khan Cancer Appeal (IKCA) logo on their t-shirts, he told them about his own fundraising efforts for IKCA thirty-two years ago!

Moved by Simon’s story, our Shafiq invited Simon on a tour of Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Lahore. After thirty-two years, Simon was only too pleased to see how much his support had helped to achieve.

We were able to ask Simon a few questions about his experience and how he came to support our cause, such a long time ago. Here’s what he had to say.


You supported our cause even before IKCA existed.  How did you hear about Imran Khan’s cancer appeal, all those years ago?

“Thirty-two years ago, as a newly qualified teacher in a Bradford school, I was given the opportunity to meet Imran Khan. He told me about his vision for the first cancer hospital in Pakistan.”


It must have been quite a meeting.

“Yes. I was impressed by his determination to get the hospital built. I decided to run the London Marathon and support his charity. I raised £800.”


£800 all those years ago was a lot of money.  It’s people like you who’ve made Imran Khan’s vision a reality.  Do you know we’re currently building our third hospital in Karachi?

“I heard. Last month I was fortunate to visit the beautiful country of Pakistan and made time to visit the hospital in Lahore.”


How did you find the visit?

“I had a tour of the hospital meeting both staff and patients. I was most touched by the amazing work they are doing with patients. They seem to be making a real difference to the healthcare of both adults and children.”


Thank you Simon for supporting IKCA and for taking the time to visit our staff and patients in Lahore.

Our supporters and volunteers are the lifeblood of IKCA and our hospitals. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to continue our work of providing life-saving treatment to patients in need.

Want to join our volunteers and challenge yourself for an amazing cause? Whether you’ve got a race to run, a mountain to climb, a journey to make, or some cakes to bake – you can make a world of difference! Help us make some noise to get the word out about cancer in Pakistan. Click below to find out more.

Become a volunteer

 

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