One never knows when a warm hug goodbye could be the last one. Christine Dawood bears the sorrow of losing both her husband and son before her eyes.
The Titan submersible, organized by OceanGate, set out on an expedition towards the Titanic shipwreck in the early hours of Sunday morning on 18 June 2023. The descent to the wreck site was almost 12500 ft beneath the surface.
But the submersible lost connection with the support vessel just 45 minutes into the journey. The crew pronounced the submersible missing following an immediate rescue operation.
Some of the most influential names in the business world had joined this expedition, including Hamish Harding, the CEO of Action Aviation in Dubai, French explorer Paul-Henri Nargolet, and OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush. Among them were also father-son duo Shahzada Dawood, a Pakistani billionaire, and his son Suleman.
In the early hours of 22 June, rescuers found remaining debris from the submersible, inferring that the Titan had imploded. The US coast guard deduced that the five people on the submersible had unfortunately died due to this implosion.
Christine Dawood sits with BBC for a heart-to-heart conversation, remembering her husband and son.
Who Is Christine Dawood?
Christien Dawood is the wife of Pakistani business tycoon Shahzada Dawood.
SHAHZADA DAWOOD:
Shahzada Dawood was born in Pakistan and lived in Surbiton, Surrey. He graduate from Buckingham University, earning a degree in LLB. He then pursued MSc in global textile marketing from Philadelphia University.
Venturing into business, he created a worthwhile legacy with Dawood Hercules Corp.– considered among the largest companies in the country with a broad spectrum of a portfolio containing energy, petrochemicals, fertilizers, information technology, and food & agriculture.
He was also appointed as vice-chairman and board of directors for Engro Corporation.
Within just a short span, at the age of 48, Dawood was ranked among Pakistan’s wealthiest people in business. As a devout philanthropist, he served as a trustee for the Dawood Foundation and the Engro Foundation. He was also a board member of The Prince’s Trust and the SETI Institute.
One can say that he was a billionaire with a heart of gold, always finding ways to give back to society.
He married Christine Dawwod in 2001.
CHRISTINE DAWOOD:
Christine was born in Germany. She is currently working as a coach and psychologist. They both have two children– a 19-year-old son, Suleman, and a 17-year-old daughter, Alina.
Christina was pursuing her Engineering career after her marriage but decided to forego this pursuit after encountering a near-fatal airplane crash. She writes about this life-altering experience in her blog–
“I’ve read many times that people start to pray in such situations or that their life flashes by like a movie.
“My husband told me later that he was thinking of all the opportunities he’d missed and how much he still wanted to teach our children.”
SULEMAN DAWOOD:
The 19-year-old son of Christine and Shazada was an ambitious and driven boy. He was studying business at Strathcycle University in Glasgow. He was preparing to join his father’s company, Engro, where he had interned previously.
He was also incredibly smart, with an adorable obsession for Rubik’s cube. He could solve the cube in under 12 seconds.
Christine described Suleman’s passion in an interview on how he learned the skill by watching Youtube tutorials.
She recounts the moment when Suleman was so excited to bring his Rubik’s cube along with him so that he could break the Guinness world record–
“He said, ‘I’m going to solve the Rubik’s Cube 3,700 meters below sea at the Titanic.”
ALINA DAWOOD:
Alina is daughter of Shahzada Dawood. She is currently studying English Literature.
Both children spent their childhood exposed to the vivid cultures of Karachi, Pakistan, and the Western culture of London.
What Did the Shahzada Dawood Family Go Through After the Implosion?
During the expedition, Christine and Alina were present in the submersible’s support vessel, Polar Prince. Christine recounted the initial panic when the crew informed them they had lost contact with the submersible. However, it did not quite register to them that the situation would escalate to the worst-case scenario.
“I didn’t comprehend at that moment what that meant – and then it just went downhill from there,” Christine said.
“There was a lot of hope.”
“I think I lost hope when we passed the 96 hours mark.”
“I said: ‘I’m preparing for the worst.’ That’s when I lost hope.”
With each passing second, the inevitable seemed more real. After some time, Christine knew she had to inform the rest of her family.
A few articles also suggested that Suleman was initially afraid to board the submersible and only went for his father’s wishes. But Christine clarified that Suleman is just like his father, with child-like curiosity.
It was Christine who was supposed to join Shahzada for the expedition, but Suleman insisted on joining his father instead, although he was too young for the exploration.
However, after seeing Suleman’s enthusiasm, Christine decided to back down–
“Then I stepped back and gave the space to Suleman because he really wanted to go,” Dawood said.
“I was really happy for them because both of them, they really wanted to do that for a very long time.”
Their family friend, Osman Waheed, also confirmed in an interview that Suleman was indeed excited about this.
Osman Waheed family friend. In their loving memory, the British Asian Trust shared their obituary–
“The relationship between Shahzada and Suleman was a joy to behold; they were each other’s greatest supporters and cherished a shared passion for adventure and exploration of all the world had to offer them.”
What are your thoughts on this tragedy? Let us know in the comments section below. Nevertheless, we pay our condolences to Christine and her family.
