Today the entire school community came together to celebrate the life of Rohan Patel, who tragically died last year having only recently left Orley Farm. I was privileged to have some time with Manish, Rohan’s father, earlier in the day as he came to drop off a gift to the school to inspire the next generation and to give meaning to something that is incomprehensible. Rohan was a young man who always wanted to give of his best in everything that he did. In addition, he wanted to make the world a better place through actions, giving and his consideration. He was like all children, remarkable and full of dreams and I know that he has left a hole in the lives of many.
However, in order to make some sense of this, all 500 pupils, 137 staff, dozens of friends, current and former parents and friends joined us for a run around Harrow Hill to remember Rohan and to raise funds for SUDEP – Sometimes a person with epilepsy dies during or following a seizure for no obvious reason. This Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is uncommon and in some cases may be preventable and hopefully our fundraising will go some way to preventing this for other families.
Thank you to Mr Davies and Mr Evans for creating such an exceptional event that Rohan would have loved…an afternoon out of school, running through Harrow for a good cause! There was such a heartfelt collective moment that spanned generations and I know that we were all very moved. I have a feeling that this might well become an annual event because of the spirit on display. Thank you everyone for your time and commitment to be our best and make the world a better place…
Tim Calvey