A children’s nurse is training to run her first half marathon this Sunday in memory of a colleague who died in a traffic collision while cycling to work last year.
Prabalini Thaventhiran, an allergy nurse at Evelina London Children’s Hospital near Waterloo, is running the Paris Half Marathon on Sunday (March 6) in honour of her friend and former co-worker, Dr Marta Krawiec, who died in August 2021.
Prabalini, who has worked at Evelina London since 2015, said: “Marta loved travelling and exploring cities. When I saw the Paris Half Marathon I thought it was the perfect place to run for her. It’s known as the city of love and she was such a close friend and colleague to so many of us, it felt so apt to go there in her memory.”
Marta, who also worked with children with allergies, was a keen runner and Prabalini thought a run was the best way to pay tribute to her.
Prabalini said: “I used to call Marta the walking library because she was so knowledgeable. She was the sort of person that if you had a question, not only will she have the answer, but she’d give you the background and let you know how you can learn more. I learnt so much from her.
“Marta was also so interested in other people and their hobbies. When I started running for the first time in the first COVID-19 lockdown, she was so supportive. I know she’d have been behind me running my first half marathon.”
Running for Marta is not just important for Prabalini and her colleagues, but also for the patients Marta cared for, as Prabalini is raising money for Evelina London’s allergy service.
Prabalini said: “After she passed away, many of the families of the children Marta treated asked if there’s anything they could do… Donating to my run is a way for others to honour Marta’s work.”
Marta’s death in a road traffic collision in Holborn has been felt keenly by her former colleagues. Prabalini said she wanted to run in her honour to highlight the legacy she has left.
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The 29-year-old said: “Through doing this run I want to let Marta’s family and friends know that although it’s been a few months now since she passed away, Marta hasn’t left our team. She’s very much in our hearts and central to so much of the work we do. We all miss Marta but we want to celebrate her life and the legacy she has left behind.
You can donate to the fundraiser here.