Best foot forward in memory of Ahmar
Pupils take part in charity run to salute popular teen
David Campbell David Campbell
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Advertising Advertising lynsey.gair@trinitymirror.com lynsey.07393gair@762401trinitymirror.com 07393 762401 kirsteen.brown@trinitymirror.com kirsteen.0141309brown@4312trinitymirror.com 0141 309 4312 Pupils from Castlehead High have raised £500 in memory of a talented friend who was tragically struck down by an ultra rare brain condition.
Popular Ahmar Javed was just 13 when he suffered a bleed on the brain while at karate practice in April – and sadly never recovered.
His mother Sameena, father Javed and little sister Mariya were left devastated at losing the clever lad from their lives.
Now, S3 students from the Paisley school have presented a cheque to Ahmar’s dad and little sister after taking part in a charity 10k run.
Ahmar was struck down by a rare condition known as Arteriovenous Malformation ( AVM), which affects just one in 100,000 people and, in his case, led to a major clot on his brain.
The popular cricket-loving lad spent 10 days in hospital and had several operations before his parents had to make the difficult decision to switch off his life support machine
Mum Sameena, 39, says she has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support since Ahmar’s passing.
She said: “I want to thank everyone at the school for their efforts.
“The fundraising is a way of keeping Ahmar’s memory alive. It also helps raise awareness of the rare condition that he had.
“Nothing will ever bring him back, but if we can help stop other families from going through what we did then that is a good thing.
“I have spoken to other people who have been affected by AVM since Ahmar died.
“I felt very alone at first but it has been helpful knowing that there are other people out there.”
Martin Macdonald, Castlehead guidance teacher, said: “Ahmar was a bright, friendly, polite, humble and hard working pupil who is greatly missed by everyone in Castlehead.
“He was highly respected by staff and pupils alike, and we were delighted to support the Javed family in their fundraising efforts.”
Sameena hopes that medics in the future will find a cure or treatment for AVM, and she is also planning to set up a bereavement network for Asian families.
The family has raised over £9,000 from various sources for Ahmar’s charity Another Star in Sky, and the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.
Friends at Ferguslie Cricket Club also raised £434 for the fund after a charity cricket match in his memory.
If you wish to donate visit www. justgiving. com/ fundra i s i n g / anotherstarintheskyofficial