A fashion-loving mum has lost her fight with cancer just weeks before she was due to take to the catwalk for a charity event.
Kathy Parfitt died less than a year after being told her rare form of breast cancer had returned.
The 43-year-old had been due to take part in Friends of Anchor’s Courage on the Catwalk next month to raise money for cancer sufferers across the north and north-east.
Last night, her devastated husband Rob said she had been relishing the opportunity to combine her passion for fashion with a cause so close to her heart.
Mrs Parfitt and her husband – parents to nine-year-old Charlotte – had converted Kinellar Church in Blackburn, on the outskirts of Aberdeen, into their new home after moving to the region from the Lake District a decade ago.
Mrs Parfitt knew the north-east well however, having grown up in Banchory with her parents Doug and Maureen, and brother Matthew.
But the family’s happiness was shattered in 2016 when she was diagnosed triple negative breast cancer.
Mr Parfitt said: “Kathy noticed a small lump while we were on a sailing holiday in Greece. We immediately returned to Aberdeeen, where she began treatment at the ARI.
“Triple negative breast cancer is notoriously difficult to treat and it became apparent the chemotherapy was not working, so she underwent surgery to remove her right breast and was given the all clear a month later.
“However, a routine scan last April showed it had returned in her liver and left lung. And, although it was initially contained by some of the chemo treatments, it started to grow rapidly in February this year.”
As a keen swimmer and runner, who regularly participated in the Park Run at Aberdeen Beach, as well as enjoying walks with her beloved dog, Mac, Mrs Parfitt seemed the picture of health.
And her husband added his “beautiful wife” had been relishing the opportunity to “walk the walk” at the model show for Friends of Anchor next month.
He said: “When she was selected for CotC, there was a great deal of excitement at being able to combine raising money for Anchor, whilst dabbling in her other passion, fashion.
“But, throughout her treatment, Kathy showed great courage and determination, never conceding she was going to lose the fight and since her death, Charlie has been a rock to me.
“I hope her story will help others never to give up and that, even in the face of overwhelming odds, a smile and a hug has a long-lasting impact on those around you.
“Together, we can beat this devastating disease, so that others don’t have to go through what Kathy has endured, because the pain she was in latterly was unbearable.”
Mrs Parfitt, who trained with Kirkstone Quarries in Cumbria as an architectural stone specialist, was supported through her illness by Friends of Anchor, Maggie’s and the staff at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Macmillan.
Her husband described their work as “simply inspiring” and thanked them for the care and support extended to the whole family. Last night the organiser of Courage on the Catwalk also paid tribute to Mrs Parfaitt.
Sarah-Jane Hogg, fundraising and development director at Friends of Anchor, said: “Kathy was a beautiful woman and, as a team, we so admired her sheer tenacity to try and make the most of her Courage on the Catwalk experience.
“It’s difficult to think we’ll be going into the event without one of the model family but, if anything, losing Kathy makes the fight and resolve even stronger.”
