The Rochdale mum who delivered hundreds of toys to sick children in memory of her little boy

‘Bobby was a fighter until the very end. I felt overwhelmed on the day, but we did it for him’

A mum from Rochdale has managed to deliver hundreds of toys to sick children in memory of her beloved son who sadly died of cancer.

Naheed Akhtar’s son Mohammed-Subhaan, known to friends and family as Bobby, had just turned two when he was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare type of cancer affecting the nerve cells of babies and young children.

The pair spent much of the next year on the oncology ward of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. “Being in hospital can be quite isolating,” Naheed said. “If you are really ill, you can’t leave your room, and as a parent it is a struggle.

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“You have hundreds of things on your mind and you’re in survival mode, you’re not really thinking about presents. We spent Christmas, Easter and Eid in hospital and there were these organisations that would bring in toys for kids.”

Bobby sadly passed away in February. “He was a fighter,” Naheed said. “He was very strong and he fought until the very end. And he loved playing with toys.”

Naheed and her friends – affectionately calling themselves Team Bobby – decided to organise a toy appeal ‘in loving memory’ of Bobby. “We thought, why not deliver joy to children battling illnesses and put smiles on their faces?” she said.

The toy appeal, shared with friends, family and work colleagues, had a ‘massive turn out’, gathering over 500 toys. “We had to take a couple of cars with the seats down to fit it all in,” Naheed said. “Donations were pouring in from lovely people.”

The donations were dropped off on May 21 ahead of Eid al-Adha at several wards of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, the Proton Beam Centre at the Christie Hospital, and at the Christie Suite of the StayCity Hotel.

The children chose their own toy and a goodie bag donated by Sunshine Snacks, while teenagers and parents were gifted £20 in cash and pocket hugs.

Naheed said it was a ‘mad’ day. “When we delivered the presents, it was around three months on from when Bobby passed away,” she said. “I felt overwhelmed but we were doing it for him.”