Tributes to inspirational Stourbridge woman Kate Winning

Kate Turner, nee Winning, whose brave fight to survive leukaemia in the late 1990s inspired massive fundraising efforts for what became the Georgina Unit at Russells Hall Hospital, passed away on December 1 after a re-occurrence of the deadly disease.

The courageous and much-loved wife and auntie never took anything for granted after her three-year battle against acute myeloid leukaemia during which she endured gruelling chemotherapy, radiotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, then a second ground-breaking transplant of stem cells after a relapse.

Her elder sister Sarah donated bone marrow and stem cells to give Kate the gift of life after the devastating diagnosis when she was just 23 and living life to the max.

Thanks to the successful treatment at Hammersmith Hospital in London, Kate enjoyed 20 years cancer free and last autumn celebrated the milestone anniversary of her 1999 second and final successful transplant.

Kate Turner (nee Winning)

During her illness she appeared in the Stourbridge News so often she became something of a local celebrity and approaching £20,000 was raised as part of a community fundraising campaign for the Georgina Unit which opened in 1998 at Russell’s Hall Hospital, with monies also donated to the children’s ward at Hammersmith Hospital.

She went on to buy her own home, found a job she loved as an interior designer and married Sam Turner, a horse racing journalist for the Daily Mail, in 2010.

Kate and husband Sam Turner

The couple celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary in May and for the last few years Kate had been working with her life-saving sister Sarah and younger sister Hollie as a personal assistant to top level professional footballers at Stourbridge-based Player PA.

Kate Turner with Aston Villa and England player Tyrone Mings

Tragically though – as the country locked down and the coronavirus pandemic began to damage lives and livelihoods – Kate began feeling unwell.

The couple began to feel something was not right and in the summer she was diagnosed with a tumour on her heart by medics at Russells Hall Hospital. The leukaemia had returned. She was subsequently transferred to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where chemotherapy was started, and she remained in hospital for around three months.

After being discharged, however, her condition deteriorated and she was readmitted to hospital before spending her final days in Mary Stevens Hospice.

Heartbroken Sam said it had been a "devastating" time but he praised the "love and compassion" she was shown at the hospice in Hagley Road where she had been born 47 years ago when it was a maternity hospital.

He said he was grateful for that and the time that he and Kate were able to spend together at their home in Wollaston during lockdown before their world came crashing down and he added: "That was a time I'll always treasure."

Paying an emotional tribute, he described keen charity supporter Kate as "one of those rare people that put everybody else before herself" and he said: "She was never happier than when she'd got people around her that she loved."

She had a "great zest for life" and "her mental strength was astonishing," he said – adding: "She was an unbelievably talented woman, she was a fabulous wife, daughter, sister and auntie while also excelling in her job.

Kate, right, with (l-r) sister Hollie, mum Judy and sister Sarah.

"She was unbelievably conscientious and selfless; nothing was too much trouble for her."

Kate was an active supporter of various causes, including the Friends of Alfie Johnson charity which she would help to source auction prizes for, and Sam added: "She did whatever she could for the charity irrespective of how busy she was."

He told the News he felt lucky to have met and married her and added: "She enriched everybody's life that she came into contact with."

Kate is survived by sister Sarah, brother Matthew, sister Hollie, mother Judy, father Ken and her beloved nieces and nephews Evie, Iris, William, Samuel and Reuben.

Broken-hearted mother Judy added: “We adored Kate and her love for her family was immeasurable.

“We are so proud of the courage and bravery she displayed throughout her life – she was a huge inspiration to us all.”

Kate's funeral will be held at Bethel Chapel, Lye, later this month.

Donations in her memory will go to Mary Stevens Hospice and they can be made via J Vernon Kendrick funeral directors or via a Facebook fundraiser, set up by best friend Jo Kynaston, which has already raised more than £3,500.