I remember first meeting Katheryn at our NCT antenatal classes, a few months before Oscar was born. We were a room full of strangers initially, with just our bumps in common, who quickly became close friends. Although I only knew Katheryn for such a small part of her life, we shared some amazing times, with our sons being born and growing into toddlers.
Katheryn would probably not be too happy at me posting this photo but she looked so beautiful with her long hair and of course the proud bump became Oscar (after a marathon labour !). When we reminisced about our NCT classes we didn’t remember the gory parts but the chat and the chocolate biscuits !! Soon after our sons were born I moved to Teddington and so began seeing a lot more of Katheryn and Oscar, particularly as the boys got older and we started to become regulars at the local playgroups and met up at the playgrounds, when they became too active for the Teddington & Twickenham coffee shops.
I know I can speak for all the Teddington Mums we socialised with; when I say Katheryn was a very special Mummy. She was so calm and dedicated to Oscar. She took Oscar’s challenging sleeping and eating habits all in her stride and never seem to get stressed despite her lack of sleep ! In the beginning we would talk about babies, if we ever managed to finish a conversation. More recently we were able to have proper conversations (while our sons played) and I was able to find out more about Katheryn. She was so much more than a Mum and wanted to be so much more. She had great ideas, talents and goals in life. I often wondered how she fitted it all in a day. Whether it was speaking French, childminding or dancing, Katheryn did them all with a passion. She was always busy in life – moving house, renewing visas, planning a trip, taking a first aid course, etc etc but she never complained about how much she had to deal with. She was so excited and enthusiastic about her new volunteering job which sadly she only did for a few weeks.
Katheryn had a very understated manner, I remember being in the supermarket with her when she casually slipped into the conversation that she and David had got married ! When the babies were very young we celebrated Katheryn’s 30th birthday at one of our meet ups with a small cake. I remember Katheryn being very touched by it. Katheryn spent months organising David’s 40th birthday party and I got a phone call a few days before it from Katheryn. “Where can I get a birthday cake in Teddington ?” she asked me. I suggested she might like to try the baker shop at the end of her street ! “Oh yeah” she said and laughed.
Just a few weeks ago I met Katheryn at playgroup and I was just glad to have got my son ready and there on time. Katheryn though had been up since 5am so she could go running before David left for work and James (the boy she was childminding) arrived. She had achieved a huge list of tasks and been for her supermarket shop only to find she had forgotten her purse, all she could do was say “oh well” and laugh about it !! I am really going to miss her wonderful smile, laughter and sense of calm. Most of all I will miss a real friend.
I don’t think I will ever come to terms with why such a beautiful and talented young life has been cut short leaving Oscar without his Mummy and David without his wife. We had been planning some nights out but hadn’t managed to fix a date, assuming there would always be time. I hope we can all learn just how fragile and precious life is and be a bit like Katheryn and make the most of every day.
Fiona
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