Photo: Sahil Usman BEMTeen volunteerSahil Usmanmay have had leukemia and his own challenges, but when he was lucky to be heading home from his hospital ward for Christmas in 2018, he and his mother made a detour to buy gifts for fellow patients who weren’t as fortunate.“The best part for me was seeing a smile on those children’s faces, and I thought I’ve done something right,” he tells PEOPLE. “I thought of doing it annually, every year.“So began a series of fundraising and volunteering that has brought Usman recognition in a formal honor from the British government and, now, an invitation fromKing Charlesto witness thecoronationon May 6.Usman, from Blackburn, Lancashire in the northwest of England, was diagnosed in July 2018 when he was 13. He has now been free of leukemia for a year — and has to remain clear of it for another four to be confident of beating it.Sahil Usman.Sahil Usman BEMHe was at school when the email invitation arrived to his mother, Shanaz Sardar, from the coronation organizers.“I couldn’t believe it — that I’m going to be there with the royals. Seeing it all happen will be a moment in history,” he tells PEOPLE. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see it.“His friends “keep mentioning that I must be really famous because I’m going to see the King’s coronation,” Usman adds.He is one of more than300 ordinary peoplerewarded previously with the BEM honor who have also been asked to witness the ceremony at Westminster Abbey next weekend. His volunteering continued up to and including the COVID pandemic when he organized hampers for the vulnerable and isolated. “We are different people but we’ve all done something that’s made an impact,” he says.Sahil Usman.Sahil Usman BEMUsman feels the invite came from the King himself.“With the trusts he runs, I think he would have wanted a lot more people like me from the community who’ve done this kind of work in society,” he says. “A lot of the other royals haven’t been invited but someone like me has. It just shows how empathetic the King can be. He has recognized our work.“His local volunteering has not just focused on his fellow cancer sufferers — though it did spawn another effort on behalf of bullied kids. When a girl on the ward told him she’d been picked on and that children didn’t want to be her friends because they erroneously thought they were going to catch the disease, “that deeply resonated with me,” Usman says. He went on to create a presentation and delivered it in schools, colleges and universities raising awareness of mental health – and he received a prestigious Diana Award, named for the late Princess Diana.Sahil Usman.Sahil Usman BEMAnd then came the COVID pandemic, when he organized shopping for the elderly and vulnerable.“There was an issue with a shortage of tissue paper. So I went out to all the shops I could find and we put 300 hampers together with all the essentials inside and delivered them to the elderly,” he says.This led to him being awarded the BEM honor, and he is among a group of similarly-rewarded ordinary people who have been invited to Westminster Abbey for the coronation.Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!He will be taking his proud mother, a social worker, as his guest.
Photo: Sahil Usman BEM
Teen volunteerSahil Usmanmay have had leukemia and his own challenges, but when he was lucky to be heading home from his hospital ward for Christmas in 2018, he and his mother made a detour to buy gifts for fellow patients who weren’t as fortunate.“The best part for me was seeing a smile on those children’s faces, and I thought I’ve done something right,” he tells PEOPLE. “I thought of doing it annually, every year.“So began a series of fundraising and volunteering that has brought Usman recognition in a formal honor from the British government and, now, an invitation fromKing Charlesto witness thecoronationon May 6.Usman, from Blackburn, Lancashire in the northwest of England, was diagnosed in July 2018 when he was 13. He has now been free of leukemia for a year — and has to remain clear of it for another four to be confident of beating it.Sahil Usman.Sahil Usman BEMHe was at school when the email invitation arrived to his mother, Shanaz Sardar, from the coronation organizers.“I couldn’t believe it — that I’m going to be there with the royals. Seeing it all happen will be a moment in history,” he tells PEOPLE. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see it.“His friends “keep mentioning that I must be really famous because I’m going to see the King’s coronation,” Usman adds.He is one of more than300 ordinary peoplerewarded previously with the BEM honor who have also been asked to witness the ceremony at Westminster Abbey next weekend. His volunteering continued up to and including the COVID pandemic when he organized hampers for the vulnerable and isolated. “We are different people but we’ve all done something that’s made an impact,” he says.Sahil Usman.Sahil Usman BEMUsman feels the invite came from the King himself.“With the trusts he runs, I think he would have wanted a lot more people like me from the community who’ve done this kind of work in society,” he says. “A lot of the other royals haven’t been invited but someone like me has. It just shows how empathetic the King can be. He has recognized our work.“His local volunteering has not just focused on his fellow cancer sufferers — though it did spawn another effort on behalf of bullied kids. When a girl on the ward told him she’d been picked on and that children didn’t want to be her friends because they erroneously thought they were going to catch the disease, “that deeply resonated with me,” Usman says. He went on to create a presentation and delivered it in schools, colleges and universities raising awareness of mental health – and he received a prestigious Diana Award, named for the late Princess Diana.Sahil Usman.Sahil Usman BEMAnd then came the COVID pandemic, when he organized shopping for the elderly and vulnerable.“There was an issue with a shortage of tissue paper. So I went out to all the shops I could find and we put 300 hampers together with all the essentials inside and delivered them to the elderly,” he says.This led to him being awarded the BEM honor, and he is among a group of similarly-rewarded ordinary people who have been invited to Westminster Abbey for the coronation.Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!He will be taking his proud mother, a social worker, as his guest.
Teen volunteerSahil Usmanmay have had leukemia and his own challenges, but when he was lucky to be heading home from his hospital ward for Christmas in 2018, he and his mother made a detour to buy gifts for fellow patients who weren’t as fortunate.
“The best part for me was seeing a smile on those children’s faces, and I thought I’ve done something right,” he tells PEOPLE. “I thought of doing it annually, every year.”
So began a series of fundraising and volunteering that has brought Usman recognition in a formal honor from the British government and, now, an invitation fromKing Charlesto witness thecoronationon May 6.
Usman, from Blackburn, Lancashire in the northwest of England, was diagnosed in July 2018 when he was 13. He has now been free of leukemia for a year — and has to remain clear of it for another four to be confident of beating it.
Sahil Usman.Sahil Usman BEM
He was at school when the email invitation arrived to his mother, Shanaz Sardar, from the coronation organizers.
“I couldn’t believe it — that I’m going to be there with the royals. Seeing it all happen will be a moment in history,” he tells PEOPLE. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see it.”
His friends “keep mentioning that I must be really famous because I’m going to see the King’s coronation,” Usman adds.
He is one of more than300 ordinary peoplerewarded previously with the BEM honor who have also been asked to witness the ceremony at Westminster Abbey next weekend. His volunteering continued up to and including the COVID pandemic when he organized hampers for the vulnerable and isolated. “We are different people but we’ve all done something that’s made an impact,” he says.
Usman feels the invite came from the King himself.
“With the trusts he runs, I think he would have wanted a lot more people like me from the community who’ve done this kind of work in society,” he says. “A lot of the other royals haven’t been invited but someone like me has. It just shows how empathetic the King can be. He has recognized our work.”
His local volunteering has not just focused on his fellow cancer sufferers — though it did spawn another effort on behalf of bullied kids. When a girl on the ward told him she’d been picked on and that children didn’t want to be her friends because they erroneously thought they were going to catch the disease, “that deeply resonated with me,” Usman says. He went on to create a presentation and delivered it in schools, colleges and universities raising awareness of mental health – and he received a prestigious Diana Award, named for the late Princess Diana.
And then came the COVID pandemic, when he organized shopping for the elderly and vulnerable.
“There was an issue with a shortage of tissue paper. So I went out to all the shops I could find and we put 300 hampers together with all the essentials inside and delivered them to the elderly,” he says.
This led to him being awarded the BEM honor, and he is among a group of similarly-rewarded ordinary people who have been invited to Westminster Abbey for the coronation.
Can’t get enough ofPEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
He will be taking his proud mother, a social worker, as his guest.
source: people.com
