The family of yoga teacher and psychotherapist Katie Shapiro who died of cancer at the age of 34 held their first “charity picnic” in Pinner to raise money for her three favourite causes.
Katie was only diagnosed in August and was treated at Charing Cross Hospital, where she died on October 19 with her family around her.
She had a rare and aggressive cancer, which doctors said afterwards may have been bile duct cancer in her liver, her youngest brother Jamie revealed.
“It’s hard not to be angry and bitter,” Jamie said. “Katie dedicated her life to helping others and was taken from us far too soon — before she had a chance to experience all the good in life that she helped others attain.
“Katie always saw the good in the world, so for Katie I won’t be angry or bitter. I will be as she was and let her shine through me to make the world a better place.”
Katie trained in Nepal and at the Karuna Institute in Devon, helping others through her work and her voluntary role at a rehab centre.
Her early education growing up in Pinner was at Grimsdyke Primary School and later at Hatch End High School, then to Reading University for a psychology degree and the Karuna Institute for her masters in psychotherapy.
She was the fourth of five children of Jackie and Gerry Shapiro, with Jamie being the youngest.
The family has set up a trust in her memory and welcomed around 100 guests including Mayor of Harrow Ramji Chauhan to the Oddfellows Arms in Pinner to remember her life.
It was organised by Jamie, a 27-year-old local democracy reporter for the BBC, who added: “We held the picnic in our local pub instead of the park because we didn’t want to wait until the summer to begin Katie’s charity work. We ended up raising £5,000 for three charities, PETA, Mind and Maggies.
“The big turnout was testament to how cherished Katie was by so many people. She will always be the most important person in my life.”
Donated raffle and auction prizes included paintings and even a Formula 1 cap signed by Max Vestappen, which went for £300.
The family smashed their original £3,000 target and now plan fundraising every year. A new ‘Go Fund Me’ page is being set up for next year’s fundraiser in Pinner Memorial Park by invitation to wellwishers donating to the online page. The family have also set up a website - https://katiespicnicinthepark.com/.
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