Nirmala Thevathasan (January 1, 1975 - October 12, 2025)
Our beloved Nirmala left this world as she came into it, immersed in love and with the encouragement of everyone around her. A New Year’s baby, she had nurses cheering and hoping for the first baby of the year. She then had nurses tenderly caring for her, with love and profound respect for her generous heart, after a rare and catastrophic brain AVM rupture. Nirmala is survived by her Amma, Easamanohari, her Appa, Rajan, her brother Dayalan (Gillian and daughters, Sydney and Charlize), and the nephew she was like a second mother to—Jayden—whom she loved with all of her heart. Her large family including aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends who became family, are bereft without her. We all know how lucky we were to have her in our lives, and we are devastated to lose her.
Nirmala’s fierce and loyal spirit is legendary. Her brilliance, compassion, and capacity for love, unfathomably deep. How she managed all of her commitments and relationships felt like a superpower. Nirmala gave all of herself in every aspect of her life. She did not know how to do things by half, and as a result, every one of us she touched somehow all felt cherished by her. She was our planner, our shepherd and protector. She lived authentically and with honesty, so you always knew where you stood with her. And you could count on Nirmala to be there, with kindness and thoughtfulness, to do exactly the right thing in good times and in bad.
She had a calling for public health, with a master’s degree in it. Her sophisticated skills, emotional intelligence, and diligence were not only recognized in her personal life, but professionally too. She rose quickly through the ranks at every clinical research-oriented workplace that was lucky enough to have her, from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and finally at Huron Consulting Group as a Senior Director, providing management consulting to some of the most prestigious institutions in the United States and Canada, including world-renowned hospitals and Yale University. She was an inspiring mentor and leader, treasured for this not just by her loved ones, but by her colleagues and even acquaintances as well.
In keeping with her beautiful, generous presence, she is donating of herself so that many, many more lives will be saved. While there can be no real solace in losing her so soon, she will literally continue to live on in others, and always in our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, donations would be welcomed. Visitation and funeral details to follow.
