“THERE WERE 48 YEARS OF SHAHZADA” — TITAN WIDOW SAYS HER HUSBAND AND SON WERE MORE THAN THE HEADLINES

Nearly three years after the Titan submersible disaster claimed the lives of her husband and teenage son, Christine Dawood is asking the world to remember them as more than two names connected to one of the most widely reported tragedies of recent years.

Shahzada Dawood and his 19-year-old son, Suleman, died on June 18, 2023, when the Titan submersible imploded during a dive toward the wreck of the Titanic.

For Christine, however, their lives cannot be defined by the final moments that made international headlines.

“There were 48 years of Shahzada before he passed away,” she told PEOPLE in a new interview.

Now 51, Christine has written a memoir, Ninety-Six Hours, describing the terrifying four days she and her daughter, Alina, spent waiting aboard the support vessel while the search for Titan unfolded.

But she says the book is about much more than the tragedy.

“It’s a love story, a love letter almost,” Christine said. “There is more to them than the headlines.”

SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ON TITAN

Christine had originally planned to join her husband on the expedition.

Instead, she gave her place to Suleman.

The family had been fascinated by the Titanic for years. Christine recalled visiting a Titanic exhibition in Singapore in 2012, an experience that left a lasting impression on her son.

When the opportunity arose to visit the actual wreck, the family decided to go.

Christine said she felt reassured by the people involved in the expedition, including famed French Titanic explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet.

She ultimately stayed behind while Shahzada and Suleman boarded Titan.

Suleman took a Rubik’s Cube with him, hoping to solve it at the bottom of the ocean.

Christine would never see either of them alive again.

FOUR DAYS OF WAITING

When Titan lost contact with its support vessel, Christine and Alina were suddenly trapped in a nightmare.

The search became an international operation.

Reports focused on the vessel’s limited oxygen supply, creating a desperate countdown as rescuers searched the North Atlantic.

Christine said one of the hardest parts was not knowing whether her husband and son were still alive.

She wondered whether they were frightened, whether they were suffering and what they might be experiencing in the darkness beneath the ocean.

Then came the devastating confirmation.

Titan had suffered a catastrophic implosion.

All five people aboard were killed.

For Christine, the knowledge that the event happened almost instantaneously brought one small measure of comfort.

“I was just grateful they didn’t suffer,” she told PEOPLE. “They were happy one moment, and the next they were gone.”

A FATHER AND SON WHO WERE BEST FRIENDS

In the years since the tragedy, Christine has tried to preserve the memories that existed long before the Titan became part of their story.

She remembers Shahzada as the man she met while studying at Reutlingen University in Germany.

They began dating around 2000 and married two years later.

They eventually settled in England and raised two children, Suleman and Alina.

Christine describes Suleman as kind and curious.

Father and son shared a fascination with exploration and the Titanic, turning what began as a childhood interest into the final adventure they experienced together.

GRIEF DID NOT END WHEN THE SEARCH DID

After returning home, Christine began recording her thoughts during long walks and writing in journals.

She also embarked on a 400-mile trek to Glasgow, where Suleman had attended the University of Strathclyde.

She says that whenever she is near the ocean, she still says hello to them.

The grief, however, has not disappeared.

Christine has spoken about the trauma of losing both her husband and son and the difficulty of returning to ordinary life.

Suleman’s room remains largely as he left it.

She has also described how she has learned to give herself time to grieve rather than trying to simply move past the loss.

“I DON’T LIKE THE PHRASE MOVING ON”

Christine says she does not like the expression “moving on.”

Instead, she prefers to think about moving forward.

That philosophy has shaped what she hopes to do next.

She is working toward creating a grief and trauma center in the United Kingdom called Pathway of Light, supported by a foundation named in honor of Shahzada and Suleman.

Her goal is to help other people dealing with devastating loss.

She says that is something her husband and son would have wanted.

THEIR STORY DOES NOT END WITH TITAN

The Titan disaster became an international story almost instantly.

The wealth of the passengers, the destination of the expedition and the questions surrounding OceanGate dominated headlines around the world.

But Christine says those headlines captured only a fraction of the people she lost.

Shahzada was not simply one of the men aboard Titan.

He was her husband.

Suleman was not simply the 19-year-old son of a businessman.

He was her child.

And for Christine, their lives deserve to be remembered beyond the tragedy that ended them.

Almost three years later, she is not trying to erase what happened.

She is trying to make sure it is not the only thing people remember.

Before they became victims of the Titan disaster, Shahzada and Suleman were a husband, a son, a father, a family — and two people who had spent years building a life together.