Family's tributes after mother dies from illness

2:01am Wednesday 9th January 2008

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CYSTIC fibrosis sufferer Catherine Gunn lived life to the full and touched the lives of others, despite the debilitating inherited lung disease.

The 21-year-old, from Pelton, near Chester-le-Street, gave birth to a healthy son, Josh, just over a year ago -pregnancies among women with cystic fibrosis are unusual and can carry complications.

However, she died on Sunday in the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, after she developed pneumonia before Christmas.

Her family said she loved children and was training to be a teaching assistant at the village school, loved animals and people and tried to live life as normally as possible given the demands of her condition.

Her mother, Pearl, said: "Catherine was so bright and breezy and so loud. You heard her before you saw her. It was a miracle to have a baby. She was determined to be a mam and she loved being a mother."

Josh, who does not have cystic fibrosis, was born by Caesarian section.

The pair lived with Catherine's mother and father, Malcolm. She also has an older brother, Mark.

Mrs Gunn said Catherine, known as Kat, had enjoyed going out before she became a mother and that she enjoyed cars and was able to mix easily with people of all ages. The relationship with Josh's father broke up.

Catherine would help other people during her time in hospital, where, Mrs Gunn said, she received excellent treatment and bore her illness uncomplainingly.

She knew she was dying and planned details of her funeral in her hospital bed.

Mrs Gunn said: "She did not want it to be a morbid affair and wanted everyone to wear something pink. She picked all the songs and said how we had to have her dressed. She wanted to arrive in style, so we are hoping to get a horse and carriage to take her to the crematorium. It is the last gift we can give her.

"We have had hundreds of phone calls and there will be a lot of people at the funeral.''

A funeral service will take place at 2pm on Tuesday in Durham Crematorium.

Flowers are welcome, but people can make donations to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and its gene therapy programme.

The family hope to hold a memorial service later in the year when Catherine's aunt can travel from Australia.