Fund for Kate

In 2020 when news of the global pandemic hit, Kate and Leon's life was hurtled in a new direction. Not just because the world had come to a standstill but because they discovered that Kate had breast cancer which would later develop into secondary bone cancer. It came as a shock, as did the realisation that after all this time with each other, they would not grow old together. Every day is another day in the journey of acceptance, but after four surgeries, countless medications, infections, covid and a lot of uphill battles, what the last two years have taught them is time with our loved ones is all we have.

Although all you know about Kate is that she has cancer, that is the least interesting fact about her. When she moved to Leeds in 1997, she was a single mum on benefits hoping to give her son a better life. She was going to university to become a social worker, but back then, the system was not built for single mums on benefits, and she could not enrol on the course. Little did she know that she would soon co-found Seagulls Paint, an innovative reuse paint store in Leeds and what is now the UK’s number one paint reuse charity. For the next 23 years, Kate spent her time giving back to her community and helping the planet, one paint tin at a time. Through Seagulls, she has helped countless individuals through their ‘We Grow People’ programme.

Kate has always been the kind of person who is interested in what makes people tick. Her intuitive understanding of what people are thinking before they know themselves has meant that she was able to help very vulnerable people who might not know how to ask for it. I have lost count of how many people's lives she has changed, shaped, and helped over the years (although she never acknowledges it). I am one of those people. When I first met her, I was a broke and soon-to-be homeless new graduate with a visa about to expire. She embraced me as a friend and has been my family ever since. She has never done anything to expect something in return. She is genuinely kind, but I can’t tell you how grateful I am to her. I try to explain to her that after all these years of helping others, it is time to let others help her.

Time is all we have, but if we can spend that time with a better quality of life, that is just as important as the time itself. Earlier this year, Kate visited Budapest, her partner Leon's hometown, where she could undergo alternative treatment that had immediate effects. In just two sessions, she was able to eat a meal again with no pain or discomfort, which she has been unable to do for almost one year. This fundraiser is to raise funds for her to go to Budapest for a month (with consent and encouragement from her oncologist) and receive treatment that could be life-changing and enhance the time she has. For the treatment to be effective, it has been recommended that she receive it as soon as possible.

Sharing Kate and Leon's story with the world has been a daunting process for them. Kates's experience with cancer is deeply personal, and sharing this can be overwhelming. But regardless, we want to share these challenges with the community she has invested her life into building, and we hope you can help support this fundraiser. It would mean a lot to both Kate and Leon, but also to all of us who love them.

You can find a thorough breakdown below to see how this fundraiser will be used. Any funds raised and not used for these activities will be donated to local cancer charities in Leeds.

Funds breakdown

Round trip flight -£450

Insurance - £750

Treatment - £740

Living Costs - £400

Emergency Travel - £400

TOTAL - £2740