The text from the Eulogy this afternoon Katrina was born on 2nd March 1981 in Crawley Hospital. She was a troublemaker from the start. Having arrived backwards (a breech birth) she took a while to start breathing and spent 6 days in the special care baby unit. Her early days seemed normal but after a year, we got suspicious that all was not right – for example, she wasn’t sitting up unaided. A specialist doctor confirmed that she had Cerebral Palsy. As soon as we got home from that consultation, the little madam promptly sat up on the floor happily playing with her toys. We were introduced to Crawley Opportunity Group where Katrina was content in the company of other afflicted children, and we were able to share experiences with other parents. After a review by the Spastic Society at their HQ in London in 1984, Katrina attended Ingfield Manor special school where they followed the teachings of Budapest’s Professor Peto. Katrina seemed to respond well to the therapy and activities. In January 1987, she started at Catherington Special School in Crawley. At home, she enjoyed sitting on the edge of the lawn with her feet in the strawberry patch or splashing in the sink (as she “stood up” supported on a special board) It was a sad day when the physiotherapist took away the walker that she used to speed about the house as it wasn’t encouraging her to stand up properly. To make travel to Grandma and Grandpa Forrester, who had retired to north Scotland, easier we purchased a motor caravan. Even day trips were easier as we had “facilities” with us. Katrina slept on the top bunk (with a guard rail) Often we found a cheeky face peering out. She seemed to look forward to our, almost annual, holidays visiting Grandma and Grandpa. She had an amazing memory. Up to the end, she would speak of trips in Grandpa’s boat to see the seals. She also remembered Uncle Billy’s accordion and Uncle Alistair going “Pop”. When one cousin is mentioned, she would say “Megan sleeps in a basket” even though Megan is now a grown woman. In the summer of 1987, we moved to Worthing. That autumn Katrina started at Highdown School and stayed at Cissbury Lodge during the week to save Ann heavy lifting while pregnant. At Highdown, Katrina was befriended by all the other pupils who would “fight” over who would push Katrina in her wheelchair to lunch. She loved the attention and popularity. Eventually, the other kids were told that they could walk with Katrina, but she must propel herself to lunch. At one parent evening, we learned that Katrina would often disappear from the classroom, but they soon found that she was going down the corridor to the kitchen to get her biscuits, which she had made earlier in the week. In February ’88, brother Mark was born. With his celebrity status (as the first ZIFT baby) the birth was on the national news. I called in at Cissbury to let Katrina know but she had already seen the news! When the twins, Stephen and Jonathan, arrived in January ’91, we were undecided as to which was which. On visiting them in the hospital the next day, Katrina decided “this one’s Stephen” Meanwhile, she had undergone an operation to try to straighten her legs by stretching the tendons at the back of her legs. Three months with both legs in plaster was painful for her. It then took a couple of months for the sores on her heels (unseen under the plaster) to heal. We vowed that we would not put her through anything like that again. We remember one weekend when we were caravanning with a group from church. Katrina would roam about the field in her wheelchair. However, she found a dip and dropped one of her wheels into it. She was stuck at a strange angle but thought it very funny. Little brother Mark, who was only 3, came running back to us very upset that Katrina was in difficulty. She derived pleasure from holidays in Swanage, Blackpool and Bognor Regis with Cissbury Lodge staff. As she grew older, we had regular reviews with school and carers on her progress. The “professionals” were panicking about how they were going to explain puberty. One day, she suddenly calmly announced “I started my period” Although her legs were unable to support her, her arms were very strong. When I carried her upstairs for a bath, she would almost crush me as she held on. Waving her arms about, she could be quite destructive. As she approached 18, she had to leave Highdown School and Cissbury Lodge. A place was found at Hillcrest Vernon (later Options Vernon) in Littlehampton where Katrina lived for the next 22 years. In the early years, Katrina would come home for the weekend, but these fizzled out. Ann managed to visit almost weekly, often with Grandma Wailes. On some of these visits, Ann would wheel Katrina to a coffee shop. As they finished, Katrina would often quietly say “Mummy pay” Another favourite of these visits was to go to the harbour to feed the swans. At least once, as Katrina held the bread over her head to throw to the swans, it was stolen by a seagull. She was not amused. Of course, none of these visits was complete without Grandma, and later Mum. fishing out some jelly babies out of her bag. Again, there were holidays with the care home staff. She could be very determined, changing her mind and refusing to go on some trips saying that she wanted to stay at home (meaning the care home) Even before Covid, Katrina began to spend more and more time on her own in her room. Even trips to “Costa” were forgotten. At the end of 2021, we were told that the care home was to close in around 3 months. West Sussex Social Services eventually found a place at Dove House in Rake (near Liss) Before the move, last February, Katrina enjoyed being able to choose bedlinen, room decoration etc. Come the day of the move, the ambulance crew were told to wear normal coats over their uniforms to avoid alarming Katrina. She soon settled in at Dove House joining in enthusiastically with many activities such as “cooking”, painting and music. Although she seemed to be getting out a bit more, she did like to be on her own in her room often just listening to music (and demanding coffee) Her bed had a remote control to adjust her position. She wore out more than one remote driving the head end up and down. There were even visits to MacDonalds, Costa Coffee, the local garden centre coffee shop. and the local pub, the Flying Bull. Once, she met up with Mum, Dad, brother Jon and his family for lunch at the pub. We had managed to visit Dove House, fortnightly, for a couple of hours. Katrina seemed to welcome these visits even if we just sat with her in her room and talked about what she had been up to. She missed us when we were away on holiday in the summer. Our last visit to Dove House was on Thursday 29th September. Two days later she was admitted to Royal Surrey Hospital, Guildford, very anaemic and suffering from pneumonia. Although she seemed to recover over the next few days, even chatting happily to Mum on Facetime on the Wednesday evening. She then went rapidly downhill that night. We spent her last few hours by her side Katrina made a big impression with all the staff who helped look after her. Staff from Cissbury Lodge, Options Vernon, Dove House, NHS and Social Services have all spoken of the good times they had working with Katrina. We thank you all for the dedication, patience, attention and affection with which you looked after and cared for her. She will always be remembered for her cheeky grin and mischievous activities.

Katrina was such a sweet and special part of our childhood together with our cousins. Always ready with her own brand of jokes, we will always remember her special character and spirit. Much loved also by our mother, her aunt Gill, we will keep her in our hearts and memories. ❤️

Kat : Sue G I like your hair did you come on a motor bike . Kitty kat you will truly be missed xxx