Raise money to pay for Nina’s funeral & support us

OUR APPEAL ~ Please help us raise funds to pay for our beloved mother Nina’s funeral and to safeguard our belongings.

OUR SITUATION ~ We are heartbroken by the unexpected loss of our fabulous mother, Nina Couvaras. Nothing could have prepared us for this. The days prior to her death were filled with so much laughter and love, with making plans together, and for our futures.

Nina was only 61 years old when she passed away in her sleep - she had more to give this world. We, her two daughters that she brought up single-handedly, are in need of support to navigate through this extremely difficult time. We are the last of her immediate family, the only ones in the UK and the responsibility falls on us to manage everything that comes with her passing.

All three of our triad - Nina, Natasha & Tanya - have faced challenges these past few years whether related to the pandemic or personally. These have come with financial set-backs, leaving us unprepared for our current situation. We are now facing funeral bills that we simply cannot cover without support or getting into huge amounts of debt. To add to the stress and pain of losing our sole caregiver, we are desperately in need of some funding to assist in consolidating our mother’s belongings and paying for the administrative fees in managing her affairs in the UK and abroad. Our mother didn’t own a property (and nor do we) so this task is no easy feat. There aren’t too many items to save, but they are all that we have physically left to remind us of “home”.

This isn’t a place we wanted to be, let alone at a time of insurmountable loss, but here we are. We’re kindly asking for whatever you could spare. We hope to raise as much money as possible to give our mother the send-off she deserves, and to get on some sort of level footing with everything else we are facing through this traumatic time.

OUR PROMISE ~ We want to be honest about the situation at hand. We understand times are challenging for many. If you are unable to give financially, any form of support and spreading our word would be massively appreciated. We will provide context and updates as best we can along the way. Please bear in mind that we are in the thick of it - our grief, our mother’s and our own financial stress and the admin revolving around her death. Honesty was an early lesson our mother instilled in us, and it is with sincerity and vulnerability that we ask for help.

OUR MOTHER ~ For those who didn’t get the fortune to meet her, Nina was a truly unique and refreshing soul. She shone bright, captivating all with kindness, love and wisdom, sharing her positivity, her excellently told stories and hope. Despite living far away from her relatives, she was a rock, a uniting force and a dear confidant. In many ways she was just at the start of her new life, getting herself back on track after the pandemic, beaming with bright ideas.

Nina gave so much of herself to the people around her, not just on a personal but also on a professional level. She was an incredible doctor. Initially, she worked in South Africa in Pediatric Care, then focussed on Sexual Health to do what she could during the HIV epidemic. When she came to the UK, she dedicated most of her career to being a GP in the NHS. She would go above and beyond, doing everything in her power to help her patients, and worked extremely hard to provide for the people she loved.

Many of you will know we were a small, tight-knit unit of three. Our mother alone equipped us with everything to become the strong, independent and passionate women we are today. Nina was happy enough living a modest life and found most of her joy in being close to us. Her devotion as a mother was remarkable and affords us strength to get through this awful period of our lives.

Aside from her unwavering love towards us, she was very dear to all who got to know her. She made firm friends and often brought people together. Nina was one of those people who would strike a conversation with anyone, and would genuinely give them her undivided time and consideration. She was faithful and good hearted - she spent a great deal of time volunteering, supporting those in need and was a role model and/or mentor to others over the years. We’ve lost one of our best, and we’d like nothing more than to do right by her where we can.

OUR THANKS ~ Thank you for reading this far, giving us your time. Thank you in advance for any support you may give, every little bit is a help and every share is encouragement. It means a lot.

CONTACT US ~ If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, please email us at [email redacted]. If you have any pictures/anecdotes of our wonderful mother, we have set up a memorial email at [email redacted].

Much love and gratitude,

Natasha & Tanya