LONDON, UK: The grieving mother of a teenager, who was one among five people who died along with the perished Titan submersible, has shared that he wasn’t the one who was initially supposed to go on the doomed trip. Christine Dawood had actually planned to go explore the site of the Titanic wreck along with her now-deceased husband Shahzada Dawood but then let her son Suleman go.
She told BBC, “I was really happy for them because both of them, they really wanted to do that for a very long time.” She also revealed that she and her daughter Alina, 17, were on board OceanGate vessels’ mother ship Polar Prince when the father-son duo embarked on their voyage with OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, British businessman Hamish Harding, and French explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet.
‘Going to solve the Rubik's Cube 3,700 meters below the sea'
Christine said the family shared happy moments just before the tourist submersible dived into the Atlantic Ocean. Christine also revealed that Suleman took Rubik's Cubes with him for the adventurous journey. She said, “He said, 'I'm going to solve the Rubik's Cube 3,700 meters below the sea at the Titanic.'” The mother reportedly also noted that she and her daughter waited on the Polar Prince while the search for the Titan was underway.
Explaining the time when communication with the submersible got lost, Christine stated, “I didn't comprehend at that moment what it meant - and then it just went downhill from there. I think I lost hope when we passed the 96 hours mark,” before asserting that her daughter “didn't lose hope until the call with Coast Guard. When they basically informed us that they found debris.”
The grieving mother said, “I miss them. I really, really miss them,” as she went on to fondly speak of her husband and added, “He had this ability of childlike excitement. He was involved in so many things, he helped so many people and I think I really want to continue that legacy and give him that platform... it's quite important for my daughter as well.”
Who is Christine Dawood?
Christine is the widow of Shahzada Dawood, who was declared dead last week after debris from the Titan was discovered. As per her LinkedIn page, she is an organizational Psychologist, Executive Coach, and Family-business insider. She did a Master’s degree in Consulting and Coaching for Change from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
On her LinkedIn, Christine has written, “‘Consulting and Coaching for Change’ equipped me to deal with different facets of change in organizations and the challenges they pose. The course linked social sciences and management theories to practical situations and drew upon relevant concepts from psychology, psychoanalysis, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, and more.”
“An entire module was dedicated to learning and reflecting on leading and managing change. We were encouraged to question preconceived ideas about leadership, and to explore alternative frameworks and practices, looking at leadership systemically and in context,” she added.
