I knew Christine for over 10 years and during this time I found her to be one of the most conscientious, thoughtful and caring people I've had the pleasure to know. As a fellow colleague at the University of Wolverhampton, we shared many fun times at work and on staff nights out (I found some pictures of Christine that I’ll share on this site soon). Later, as her line manager, I was pleased that our friendship remained strong, but during our one-to-one meetings I have to admit that I would become a little frustrated by her concern for other team members rather than herself, so I continually attempted to manoeuvre the discussion to how she was feeling and her needs. However, I gradually understood why she did this. Others have mentioned how professional Christine was and it was this professionalism, her integrity and her common sense approach to life, along with a genuine interest in the feelings of others that kept her grounded, able to deal with her own feelings extremely well and make available so much time for others and their needs. Students also valued and respected Christine - I only ever heard them speaking positively about her, and I received many e-mails praising her for her support to them. As her illness took hold, she continued this care for others by reassuring us all: ‘don’t worry, it will be okay’ – and we shared in that hope with her. Some believe that our purpose in life is to observe, to learn, and to grow – during her time with us Christine helped others to see the world in a different way, to learn about different health practices and to grow our ideas and our sense of what is possible. It’s heartening to know that these qualities will live on in those she knew and taught. So, to honour the wonderful memories of Christine and the support she gave to students and her colleagues, the team are creating a Christine Whitehouse Memorial award which will be awarded at graduation to a student who has overcome adversity. I feel truly blessed to have known you Christine, and I know others whose lives were touched by you also feel the same way. You were a lovely friend and colleague. You will be missed by many. Until we meet again, Ranjit x