STANDING behind a till as she sold Christmas cards, Safiyya Vorajee beamed knowing that every penny will help children who are fighting cancer.
The milestone was made possible after three talented youngsters won The Sun on Sunday’s art competition to design a range of charity cards to sell in UK Clintons stores.
And for Safiyya, 34 — whose eight-month-old daughter Azaylia died of leukaemia in 2021 — it was a poignant moment that filled her heart with warmth and gratitude.
She said: “I feel so happy to be able to do something so beautiful in Azaylia’s memory.
“The designs are special because they’ve been drawn by children to help other children who are battling cancer.
“I especially love the little lion design. That is what we would call Azaylia because she was so brave.”
‘Wonderful campaign’
The cards were created by competition winners Sydney Allison, 14, Lottie-Lea Brothwood, five, and Mackenzie Perrett Bishop, nine.
Proceeds from their sale will buy Christmas gifts for kids with cancer and help our charity partner The Azaylia Foundation — set up by Safiyya and Azaylia’s dad, former footballer Ashley Cain — to fund childhood cancer specialists.
We are urging readers to get behind our campaign by snapping up the cards at Clintons.
Radio producer Navkiran Mann visited the store in Nuneaton, Warks, where Safiyya was serving.
She said: “The cards are a poignant reminder of how families with youngsters suffering from cancer deserve our support.
“Listening to Safiyya’s story about how she has used the grief of losing her little girl to help others has moved me to tears.”
Andrea Procter, 35 — out shopping with her 11-week-old daughter Freya — added: “It’s a wonderful campaign which resonates with parents and families as it reminds us how devastating a cancer diagnosis can be.”
Fellow customer Dumi Senda said of Safiyya: “I cannot imagine how much courage it takes to set aside your own grief and remind other families they are not alone.”
Retail assistant Hayley Wood-Keight, 47, said it was a “privilege” to have Safiyya help in-store.
She added: “I can’t think of a more worthwhile charity campaign.”
Safiyya’s proud mum Andrea Williams, there to pick up packs of our cards, said: “I don’t think anyone realises the sadness of coping with the death of a child unless they have to go through it.
“I would like to thank everyone for supporting the campaign.”
Support The Sun on Sunday’s campaign
HELP kids with cancer – buy our brilliant Xmas cards at Clintons.
