The National Scleroderma Foundation is thrilled to announce the Indu Sapra, MD Memorial Research Grant. Thanks to a generous $5 Million commitment from Bob Nickerson in memory of his late wife, Indu Sapra, MD, this endowment will fund a grant honoring investigators conducting research related to scleroderma.
Indu was a remarkable person who lived her life to the fullest, despite her scleroderma diagnosis. Born in India, she moved to the United States as a young woman and built the American dream for herself. She was incredibly bright and energetic, serving as a physician for more than 20 years, she delivered more than 5,000 babies over the span of her career, while providing life-saving medical treatment for countless others. She developed meaningful relationships with many individuals around the country and world and made a tremendous impact on the lives of so many.
“Indu was a force of nature. Everyone who knew her knew she meant business, with a radiant smile. She never stopped fighting. My hope is that this grant will support the research needed to find a cure. Indu was so motivated by research and science, and the promise they held.” – Bob Nickerson
The Foundation is grateful that Bob and Indu chose us for the honor of such an important legacy.
“Dr. Sapra’s work literally brought life into this world,” Mary J. Wheatley, Chief Executive Officer of the National Scleroderma Foundation, said. “Now her legacy is creating hope for hundreds of thousands more who will benefit from the research that is powered by this generous gift.”
A Force of Nature and a Legacy Making an Impact
Indu Sapra was born in 1944 in a rural hillside village in what is now Pakistan (then India). She grew up in a strict household, with a backdrop of war and conflict. Despite her circumstances, she achieved scholarship and athletic recognition. As a teenager, Indu entered and won the national 10 meter diving championship in India. The president of India presented her with her medal, and suggested she train for the Olympics. But Indu couldn’t be convinced. She knew at an early age that she wanted to be a doctor, and this early idea was cemented after she lost her younger brother to illness. She competed and won an invitation to a highly regarded and prized Medical School, where she met many of the brightest and most able young women in all of India, many of which she had kept in touch with all her life.
Indu’s life and career took her from Germany to the UK to Canada and eventually to Baltimore for her American medical training. Her steely determination, willingness to work hard, along with her intelligence led her to much success in life.
In Baltimore, Indu met the love of her life, Bob, who fell in love with her soft, beautiful smile, and her heroic and resilient spirit. They met later in life and when the time came to retire, they sought warmer weather. After finding a home in Ponte Vedra, they took up near-daily golf games and made many new friends that became like family.
In retirement, she relished playing competitive golf or bridge, trekking the highest mountains, including Everest, Kilimanjaro and Machu Picchu, and spending time with her beloved husband of more than 25 years, Bob Nickerson. She built many deep and wonderful relationships with friends in the Sawgrass community and enjoyed spending time with friends and extended family in Ponte Vedra and around the world.
