Hasan Rrahmani rode over 2,000 kilometres from London to Prishtina by bike, collecting donations for charity in memory of his father who died of pancreatic cancer.
In December 2019 in London, Hasan Rrahmani found himself having to translate and relay to his father the difficult message that he had pancreatic cancer and only a few weeks left to live.
“The doctor said [that father’s] case was very bad… I wanted to tell him, and he was listening, but the words wouldn’t come out. I couldn’t, my soul didn’t let me say those words, and when I told him, he just leaned back and said ‘hajri koftë’ [may it bring good] in Albanian and faded,” Rrahmani told BIRN.
His father, Emin, died at the age of 71 in December 2019 and almost six years later, Rrahmani decided to bike 2,000 kilometres from his father’s home in north London to Prishtina—where he says his father’s soul rests in peace.
Hasan Rrahmani (L) and his father Emin Rrahmani (R), Photo: Courtesy of Hasan Rrahmani
“I wanted to do something special to remember my father, but also to raise awareness about pancreatic cancer,” he said, explaining that at the time of his father’s diagnosis the family knew very little about the disease.
On the morning of September 6, Rrahmani started his journey by bike from London. He arrived in Prishtina 20 days later, having cycled over 2,000 kilometres. Family, friends, and citizens welcomed him at Prishtina’s main square.
Rrahmani learned that pancreatic cancer research receives very few donations, and explained that the reason is, “because it’s very deadly, and scientists prioritize research on curable cancers.”
Hasan Rrahmani on the road, cycling from London to Kosovo. Photo: Courtesy of Hasan Rrahmani
Besides cycling, he is raising donations through Pancreatic Cancer UK: “the donations I collect will [fund] about 100 hours [of] research for pancreatic cancer.”
Rrahmani has three brothers and his family moved to London after the Kosovo war, in 1999. He was 13 at the time.
His father wanted to return to Kosovo but Rrahmani said that he sacrificed that dream in order to offer him the best education and quality of life in London.
Rrahmani studied media and now works for Amnesty International, the human rights organisation.
Rrahmani cycled in France, Switzerland, Italy, Albania, North Macedonia and finally Kosovo, but not by coincidence.
“My father loved Italy very much, he traveled there and spoke a lot about it. And second were Albania and France,” he told BIRN, speaking from Ancona, Italy, after having cycled over 1,700 kilometres.
Hasan Rrahmani on the road, cycling from London to Kosovo. Photo: Courtesy of Hasan Rrahmani
“I have traveled intentionally on [my father’s] routes, and it’s very interesting that all those towns and villages that he mentioned around Italy were shown to me by bicycle,” Rrahmani added.
For 10 days, Rrahmani was accompanied by his neighbor, who decided to return to the UK near Milano. All the way to Ancona, Rrahmani was supported by his two brothers, with food and a place to sleep in a rented motorhome.
Before reaching Italy, Rrahmani shared the challenges he faced on the Swiss Alps, at around 2,500 metres altitude.
“Even when we reached the top, there was almost no air. So, it was very hard to breathe. I’ve never had an experience like that… 2,500 meters was cold, but when we got there and when we crossed it, I saw that even my brothers started to believe that I would really get through this,” he said.
He overcame the difficulties he faced in the Alps by thinking “about my father’s challenges, the pain he went through, now I felt relieved, because I knew that this is nothing compared to what people who have pancreatic cancer, what pain they have. When I thought about the challenges they face, especially my father, a different energy came to me.”
Hasan Rrahmani arrives in Prishtina on September 26 after cycling from London, a journey he began on September 6. Photo: BIRN
After he arrived in Albania’s seaside town of Durrës, his third brother and two cousins supported him on the rest of his journey.
Hasan Rrahmani is calling on people to make a donation, no matter how small, with all funds going directly to Pancreatic Cancer UK. Donations can be made here.
Among the people who welcomed him to Prishtina and congratulated him on September 26, were actors, officials of the Municipality of Prishtina, and Jonathan Hargreaves, the British ambassador in Kosovo, who said that, “it is an incredible thing that you have done and I am sure your father would be unbelievably proud of you.”
“This is just another example of the strong ties between the UK and Kosovo. I am proud that someone like your father was welcomed to the UK… We will aim to support you in charity. Thank you for being here and I hope you have a really nice, comfortable sleep!” Hargreaves concluded.