Salman Khan's London-based special fan Arvind Jain has lost his battle with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The 12-year-old, who had been battling with the ailment since birth, passed away on Sunday.

Final days
On a visit to Mumbai last year, the youngster had expressed a desire to meet his screen idol 'Salman. It was on his wishlist. He was well aware that time was ticking for him. Even though Arvind landed up at the actor's Bandra home unannounced, Salman had warmly welcomed him as reported ('A dream come true'; Hitlist, January 7, 2008).

It is learnt that for the past month Arvind was in hospital as his condition had deteriorated leading to several complications. Though extremely weak, he remained cheerful. He also had to have his foodpipe removed. Last week, his health took a turn for the worse and his heart stopped working.

Dream come true
"I could not believe it when Salman greeted me. It was a dream come true. I did not know what to tell him but he made us extremely comfortable," a bashful Arvind had said after meeting his hero. He was accompanied by his parents Mridula and Ashok Jain and elder sister Sushma. As he was confined to the wheelchair, Hindi films was a big source of comfort for him. And Salman Khan was his favourite actor.

Ask me anything!
When he came face-to-face with the star, he was initially tongue-tied. But gradually and thanks to Salman being so chilled out, he could actually start a conversation with his idol. The topic of conversation was Salman's films and his paintings. The star had told Arvind he could ask him everything he wanted to know about him. Besides Salman and Katrina Kaif, Salman's sisters Alvira and Arpita, his mother Salma as well as Malaika Arora Khan were present.

Says New Delhi-based family friend Lalit Bisht, "Arvind and his family were planning to come down to India this year. Arvind had fond memories of his trip last year."

Arvind, who was confined to a wheelchair, could not stand or sit without support and spent all his life in and out of hospitals. Yet, Arvind's family wanted him to live life to the fullest.