Jania Ashlynn
Christine Dawood is sharing her story about her son, Suleman Dawood, and his father, Shahzada Dawood, who both passed away during a submersible expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic.
Videos by Rare
Trading Places
Christine has recently spoken up in an interview with the BBC. This is the first time she has spoken since the tragic news of her son, husband, and three others being confirmed dead after the submersible imploded.
The mother revealed that she was supposed to join her husband on the mission, but unfortunately, COVID-19 had other plans. Instead of calling it quits, she saw an opportunity for her son to bond with his father and took it.
“Then I stepped back and gave them space to set [Suleman] up, because he really wanted to go,” she shared with BBC. Christine revealed that her son had an extra goal in mind, apart from visiting the Titanic. He wanted to set a new world record for solving the Rubik’s Cube.
“He said, ‘I’m going to solve the Rubik’s Cube 3,700 meters below sea at the Titanic,'” she continued.
Unwrapping Tragedy
Suleman always had a Rubik’s Cube on him, and he amazed people by solving it in just 20 seconds. Christine and her daughter were on the support ship, Polar Prince, joking and hugging Suleman and their son before they embarked on their journey. Sadly, Christine was also there when they received the news that the Titan had lost contact. She held onto hope for as long as she could, but after 96 hours, she knew there was no more hope left.
“I said: ‘I’m preparing for the worst.’ That’s when I lost hope,” she shared, though her daughter held out a bit longer. “She didn’t lose hope until the call with Coast Guard. When they basically informed us that they found debris,” she continued.
