Neasden man wins award for dedicated care to his late wife

A dedicated husband who was handed a national award commemorating the care he gave to his late wife has hailed it as moment he ‘will never forget.’

Amrit Gajjar, who lives in Randall Avenue, Neasden, picked up the accolade of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) carer of the year

Mr Gajjar’s wife Harsha was first diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1995 and spent 16 years battling the disease before she died in March this year aged 63.

The devoted widower said: “This is a great honour; I only wish my wife was there to see it, I think she would have been happy because she would have seen how much she meant to me.”

The MS Society Awards were created to reward individuals and groups for their hard work in changing lives for people affected by MS.

Despite caring for his wife throughout, 69-year-old Mr Gajjar spent the last five years of her life acting as a full time carer.

He said: “I used to help with everyday tasks like going shopping, cooking meals; I would take her to the local shops or down to Brent Cross.”

The former driving instructor has lived in the Neasden for more than 40 years but quit his job to care for his beloved wife whom he described as a ‘star of the community’.

He said: “She was always smiling and very helpful to others, she used to sing at the Navratri festivals, people remember her very fondly.”

Mr Gajjar also reserved special thanks for his grandchildren, Ethan, 3 Kian, 6 Kira, 7 Tia, 9 and Dara, 15.

He said: “My grandchildren enjoyed looking after her too; I want to thank all my friends and family because I couldn’t have done it without them.”

His proud daughter Ulpa Chauhan, 38 was also full of praise for her father.

She said: “Dad was over the moon when he found he had won the award, this is mums way of saying thank you and I am extremely proud of him.”

Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the MS Society, hailed Mr Gajjar as a ‘shining star.’

He added: “We wish to congratulate Amrit on winning this prestigious award.”