Evelina nurse Prabalini Thaventhiran training at the Olympic Park for the Paris half marathon
(Picture: GSTT)A children’s nurse is to run her first half-marathon in memory of a doctor colleague who was killed cycling to work.
Prabalini Thaventhiran, 29, a children’s allergy clinical nurse specialist at Evelina London, will run in Paris on March 6 to celebrate the life of Dr Marta Krawiec, who was fatally injured by a HGV at Holborn last August.
They had worked together for seven years. Dr Krawiec was a keen runner and Ms Thaventhiran wanted to honour her memory while raising money for the Evelina’s allergy department.
Ms Thaventhiran 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.”
She added: “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.
“After she passed away, many of the families of the children Marta treated asked if there’s anything they could do. The money raised for Evelina London’s Children Charity will go towards the hospital’s allergy service, so donating to my run is a way for others to honour Marta’s work.”
Colleagues of Dr Krawiec wrote to Mayor Sadiq Khan demanding immediate safety improvements at the junction last year.
Here is the utterly devastating letter from @EvelinaLondon colleagues of Dr Marta Krawiec to @SadiqKhan pic.twitter.com/j0cuHu13Jq
— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) September 2, 2021
Camden council introduced temporary measures and last month began upgrading them to make the changes permanent.
TfL’s longer-term aspiration of replacing the entire Holborn gyratory to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists is dependent on Government funding.
Last Friday, TfL’s latest £200m bailout included a clause requiring it to spend £50m on “healthy streets” by June.
Donations to Ms Thaventhiran’s fundraising efforts can be made via JustGiving here.
