Marlborough Fundraiser To Build Cancer Center In Pakistan

MARLBOROUGH, MA—Now Pakistan's prime minister, Imran Khan was the captain of a World Cup winning soccer team when his mother, Shaukat Khanum, died of cancer because there was no world class facility to treat her.

Chairman Rashid Shaikh and several other members of the Humanity Bridge Foundation are Pakistani-Americans, and the cause, too, is close to their hearts.

The Humanity Bridge Foundation is hosting the Shaukat Khanum Charity Dinner with Sanam Marvi Live in Concert on Saturday, Nov. 17, starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn and Suites in Marlborough. The concert and gala dinner is to raise funds to build a third Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital in Pakistan.

Shaikh explains that singer Marvi as well as the CMO of the hospital are traveling across the country to throw similar benefits in communities with large Pakistani-American populations, including Marlborough.

"Khan dedicated his life to build this hospital and started raising funds," said Shaikh. "It’s the world's largest cancer hospital run 100 percent on donations."

According to Wikipedia, Marvi performs sufi concerts around the world and is considered among the three of the finest performers in the Sufi, ghazal and folk genres.

The first cancer hospital was built in 1994 in Lahore, a second one in Peshawar in 2005, and the third one will be built in Karachi. The Imran Khan Cancer Appeal is a registered nonprofit, and all donations collected are used for the hospital and research center.

"Shaukat Khanum was a huge need for a country of 220 million people and has produced amazing results in treatment and contributed greatly in the global cancer research," Shaikh told Patch.

The event includes a program, dinner, concert and babysitting (with pizza and movie) for the kids.

Get more information on the event here.

Photo via Shutterstock