A hijab-wearing artist has taken inspiration for a hat-themed fundraiser from a young woman who lost her life to the disease.
Haleema Ali is an ‘artivist’ – an artist who uses her craft as a form of activism. Moved by the story of Amani Liaquat, a Masters student from her hometown of Luton, who died from a glioblastoma (GBM) in February at the age of 23, Haleema is turning her talents to supporting Brain Tumour Research.
Haleema did not know Amani personally, although she knows others who did, but has been inspired by her to take part in Wear A Hat Day with Flowers on Friday 17th June.
She said: “My brother has a life-threatening condition so, to see a local girl like Amani struggling like that was hard as it hit home, especially with her being so young, the same age as one of my sisters.
“She did so many amazing things in her life, campaigning whilst being ill herself, and what happened to her is heart-breaking. To see her fighting so hard until her last breath was incredibly moving and will always stay with me.
“Her legacy will live on and I hope my doing this proves that. She was a great role model, caring and loving, and it would be great if more people could model their lives on her actions. With that in mind, anything I can do to help raise awareness of brain tumours and support people like her family is what I want to do.”
Haleema, who is known for her quirky fashion sense, has created a social media page under the name ‘Haleema The Hatjabi’ in which she models hats on hijabs and explores different ways of styling and pairing them.
She added: “I learned how to embroider and crochet during lockdown so, for this fundraiser, I’m keen to make my own flowers to add to the hats, although I might mix it up and use some fresh flowers too. As the oldest of five children, I like doing arts and crafts with my siblings so I’m also hoping they’ll be happy to get involved.”
To support Haleema’s fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/hatjabi
There’s just a week to go until Wear A Hat Day with Flowers! Register online today by clicking here.
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