Walking in memory

It was emotional for all of them. The group walked in memory of Sureen Ganatra, the director and owner of their chain of Playdays nurseries, who died last year aged 48. He was born with one kidney and was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease aged five. He had a transplant aged 38, which lasted seven years. He’d been on dialysis and waiting for a new kidney for almost four years when he died.  

But Kim Ryan, 45, nursery manager of Playdays Farnborough, says the group of 16 – with more employees also walking from the other two nurseries – made sure the day was as uplifting as possible.  

She says, “Sureen was a lovely man and a wonderful boss. He was so passionate about childcare and was lovely to work for. He was totally immersed in nursery life and very proactive in helping create a wonderful environment for both children and staff. 

“He’d suffered from kidney issues all his life and did dialysis every day. But although we were aware of his condition, he rarely spoke about it and certainly never moaned. He was also a great fundraiser and a big advocate of Kidney Research UK, as the condition had impacted his life so much.” 

Last summer, Sureen sadly passed away after a short illness unrelated to his kidney condition. He contracted sepsis and suffered of a cardiac arrest while on dialysis, and died of a hypoxic brain injury. It was a huge shock to everyone – especially his wife Shipra and two children and nursery staff.

“We were devastated,” says Kim. “It was a real shock. But through our grief we still had to make sure that the nursery kept running and the children were looked after. We tried to take over as best we could so that the family could grieve by themselves. Everyone has pulled together.

“Sureen had mainly looked after the day to day running of the nursery, so as well as dealing with the loss of her husband, Shipra and her son Eshaan have also had to immerse themselves in the business. It was a hard time for everyone.”