Sabita Dindayal research award launched in memory of wife of 60 years
In a moving Valentines tribute to his late, beloved wife of 60 years, a 90-year-old man from Streatham, has funded a new research award through Kidney Research UK.
The Sabita Dindayal Award will support a PhD project aimed at improving the lives of kidney patients, continuing Sabita’s lifelong commitment to helping others. Sabita’s widower Vidur Dindayal chose to work with us after reflecting on the impact kidney disease had on his wife.
Vidur Dindayal, who is 90 years old, decided to make the gift after Sabita died from kidney disease, aged 82, in 2019.
Vidur says: “I was lucky to be married to Sabita and miss her a great deal. She had all the best qualities in a human being. She was incredibly caring and was always there for her family and people in the local community.
“It was extremely sad when we found out about Sabita’s kidney disease in 2016. We knew she was coming to the end of her life, but she was always determined to enjoy her time and look after others.
“It’s important to me to leave a gift and keep Sabita’s name alive. I know she’d be delighted that she continues to help and inspire people. We should all strive to make other people’s lives better and happier. I hope Sabita’s research project will achieve that for kidney patients and their families.”
Remembering Sabita
Vidur and Sabita met at school in Georgetown, Guyana in 1953 and were married for 60 years before her death. They forged a life together in London, after riots in Georgetown in the early 1960s.
Vidur says: “Prospects were not good after my family’s hardware store was destroyed. We were encouraged to move abroad with our young daughter, Roshni, and bought our home in Streatham. I qualified as an architect and Sabita spent time babysitting, sewing and working in retail.
“She had a very caring way and spent most of her life looking after others. She was a loving mother and grandmother, supported her younger sisters and nephew, who came to live with us after the troubles in Guyana, and cared for her own mother before she died.
“Sabita got to know some older people in our local community and was always there for them too. She would help them with their daily needs, buying shopping, cleaning, and supporting them with doctor’s appointments. She would look after anyone and touched many people’s lives.
“When we’d walk to the high street in Streatham, it would never be a straight walk to the shops because she’d bump into so many people she’d know, and they’d have a chat. She was pleasant in that way and everyone knew her.”
Sabita’s kidney disease
Life became more difficult for Sabita in later life, when she suffered a mild stroke and needed surgery for back pain. When she was diagnosed with kidney disease and told her kidney function had fallen below 13% in 2016, she had to consider her own care.
Vidur says: “Sabita was given a life expectancy of less than two years. She had the option of dialysis treatment, but this would have, at best, only extended her life by a few months. We knew people on dialysis, and they would spend half a week in hospital and the other half trying to get over it. That was not a life that appealed to Sabita.
“She lived the last years of her life positively and continued to do what she enjoyed. She would meet friends, look after others and chat with people in the street. She always kept smiling and was very determined.
“It was only in the last few months of her life that Sabita’s kidney disease visibly deteriorated. Her pain increased, she became weaker, and was unable to eat, stand or walk. She collapsed and was taken to hospital for the last four weeks of her life. I visited her every day.”
A legacy of kindness
Through the Sabita Dindayal Award, Vidur will honour Sabita’s legacy by supporting research that will make a real difference in the lives of kidney patients. The award will fund early-career research with a clear focus on patient benefits.
Lucy Sreeves, executive director at Kidney Research UK, commented: “We were truly touched when Vidur contacted us about setting up this award in Sabita’s name. Helping other kidney patients in this way seems like a beautiful tribute to their love story. This award will not only advance vital research but will also carry Sabita’s spirit of compassion forward, touching the lives of many more families affected by kidney disease.”
Vidur said: “Sabita is my inspiration. Life isn’t about how talented you are or how rich you are, it’s about how good a human being you are. She was a humble, down-to-earth, soft-spoken person who was always caring for others. Now that work will continue in her memory.
“I’ve always been proud of Sabita and feel so privileged we got to spend sixty years together. That is the most important thing in my life. Everyone should be able to have a good quality of life and enjoy their time. That’s why research into kidney disease is so vital.”
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