Winning the fight
CAT Boughton was looking forward to celebrating her 21st with family and friends when life took a savagely cruel turn.
The day before her birthday, she was diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
It was devastating but Cat, a newly-qualified mortgage adviser for TSB in Gloucester, was determined not to let the disease beat her – and decided to dedicate her life to helping other young cancer sufferers.
“It came out of the blue,” Cat says. “We were in shock at first. But my mum is a nurse, and she was there from the very beginning to support me through it all. She has been totally amazing. And my dad, who is in the forces, flew back from Oman. All my family have been by my side.”
Cat started chemotherapy immediately, but within just two weeks of the gruelling treatment she was planning how to raise funds for other young cancer sufferers.
Aware she would lose her long hair due to chemo, she decided to cut it and donate her locks to the Little Princess Trust, which provides free wigs to children that have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or other illnesses.
She raised more than £3,000 for the trust through sponsorship and, now 25, has collected thousands for charities, including her favourite, CLIC Sargent. Her efforts have seen her being named a Pride of TSB winner this year.
Paul Izon, Head of Savings for TSB in Gloucester, said: “Cat fought the illness with her usual enthusiasm and vigour, and the cancer didn’t stand a chance. She is an inspiration to us all.”