Romsey Rugby Club to host special match in aid of sepsis research charity

Posted: 11th April 2025

Two local junior rugby teams – Romsey Rugby Club U14s and Embley U14s – are competing in a charity rugby match on Friday 25 April at Ganger Farm Sports Ground, Romsey, in memory of local teenager, Jibraan Chaudhary. Members of the community are invited to join this fundraising event which will start at 4pm, with kick off at 5.30pm, and include fun-family activities, food and refreshment with all proceeds going to the Jibraan Chaudhary Sepsis Research Foundation. Students from Embley, Mountbatten School, King Edward VI School and Bishop Wordsworth’s School will take part in the match.

A much-loved son and brother, Jibraan Chaudhary, aged 18, completed his A Levels last Summer at Embley in Romsey and had his sights on starting university in the autumn. Jibraan was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia in August. After an intense battle, he beat all the odds and was in remission awaiting a life-saving stem cell transplant but contracted sepsis during his third round of chemotherapy and died in November.

William – best friend to Jibraan’s younger brother and a rugby player at Romsey and Embley – came up with the idea of the charity rugby match. Bringing together William’s teammates from both clubs, the charity event aims to raise funds and awareness of the danger of sepsis in leukemia patients.

Complications arising from sepsis are the leading cause of death for people with leukemia. Some studies indicate that sepsis is linked to up to 65% of leukemia cases and a 30% mortality rate of sepsis in cancer patients (1) yet it remains an overlooked crisis.

In his honour, Jibraan’s parents are aiming to turn this tragic loss into impactful change, with the launch of the Jibraan Chaudhary Sepsis Research Foundation, which aims to fund ground-breaking research into better prevention, treatment protocols and monitoring strategies, to help chemotherapy patients have a better chance of survival from sepsis.

Categories: Embley School News