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I Didn’t Read About Resilience. I Lived It.
Author Entrepreneur Speaker
My Story.
When I was 17, I lost my parents in the Boxing Day tsunami one of the deadliest disasters in modern history. My siblings and I became the largest orphaned family to survive it. With nothing but each other, we hitchhiked through a broken country, unsure if we’d make it to the next day.
Years later, just as life felt steady again, sepsis nearly killed me. I survived, but not without cost. I was told I’d never be able to have a family of my own.
I’ve built schools in my parents’ memory. I’ve created a brand that’s helped thousands of children around the world. But the quiet grief of everything I couldn’t fix has stayed with me. Still, I’ve kept going. Not just for myself, but for anyone who’s ever felt broken by life.
If that’s you right now, I want you to know: you’re not alone.
You’re stronger than you think. And even from the darkest moments, something meaningful can grow.
The Journey So Far...
The wave that broke me became the wave I rode.
A journey from grief to growth, from pain to purpose.
A Normal
Start In Life.
1987
Humble beginnings in South London (Croydon) and the start of an extraordinary journey that would become much bigger than me.
2001
Schooled By The World.
My parents swapped normality for nomad life. Before it was a thing to do, my parents made a bold & brave choice. We backpacked through Asia learning from people, not classrooms.
We were taught to live, not just exist.
2004
Surviving The Unsurvivable.
The Indian Ocean tsunami stole our parents (Sandra & Kevin) as well as 230,000 other people on boxing day. I then became the father figure and had to lead my siblings home after the biggest natural disaster ever recorded. That day rewired my soul and gave me a reason to exist for them.
2012
£1000 and a Flip Flop Dream.
From a Brixton flat and a little bit of belief, my brother and I launched Gandys with just £1000.
Built from loss, driven by purpose we started knocking on doors to get the message out there.
Giving Back Where It All Began.
2014
We opened the first Gandys Kids Campus in
Sri Lanka not far from where our parents died.We returned not with grief, but with hope. Exist with purpose. Always.
2014
Turning Pain into Pages.
Our story became a bestselling memoir: “Tsunami Kids”.
Backed by Prince William and Sir Richard Branson, it inspired others to find strength through struggle.
Purpose Meets Pavement.
2017
We launched the Gandys flagship store in Covent Garden, turning our mission into a movement people could walk into.
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2020
Exist With Purpose.
From Sri Lanka to Brazil, Nepal to Guatemala we’ve helped over 40,000 children access education and opportunity.
Through schools, Kids Campuses, and global programmes, Gandys has become more than a brand it’s a movement.
A New Chapter: I Do.
I married my soulmate (Roisin), a doctor with a heart for healing. Together, we vowed to keep living with purpose, no matter the storms ahead.
2022
2023
Honey Moon With A Mission.
We travelled the world, visiting the children at our Kids Campuses from Sri Lanka to Bali. I also took Roisin to India to show her where I grew up. This also gave me time to start writing a second book and I also started thinking about how I wanted to do more with my story to help others with the mental obstacles we face everyday.
Hit by Sepsis, But Not Broken.
2024
Before I got started with my new mission. Sepsis nearly killed me not once, but twice. Thanks to my wife (Roisin) a doctor, I survived. But survival came with a cost. I was told I’d never have children. After years of dreaming of a family, the legacy of my parents, my DNA, ended with me.
An orphan, now infertile. It hit hard.But when you can’t create life,you fight to impact it.
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2024
20 Years Since the Wave.
Two global documentaries to honour the 20th anniversary of the tsunami. Our parents, our journey, and the 40,000+ children we’ve reached through Gandys.
Raw. Real. Relentless.
2025
Launching my social channels & personal brand, a platform to challenge broken systems, speak truth, and inspire others to take control of their health, their purpose, their lives and show whatever you face in life you can rebuild.
Don’t Just Exist.
More Stories On Socials.
