She Beat Cancer Three Times and it Inspired Her to Become a Paramedic to Give Back

February 9, 2025 journo

Katherine Murrell beats cancer and becomes paramedic – SWNS

A young woman who has survived cancer three times has become a paramedic so she can ‘give back’ to the National Health Service in England, and serve other patients who are going through the same thing.

Katherine Murrell was first diagnosed with cancer when she was just 16. She underwent six months of daily chemotherapy before being given the all-clear—but years later received two more diagnoses.

Now 27, Katherine is finally cancer-free and says her experience with the NHS is what inspired her to join the London Ambulance Service.

“I’ve spent 11 years going to regular hospital appointments. When you get that used to it, you want to give something back,” said the Essex resident.

Since battling stage four lymphoma—a blood cancer that affects the immune system—she’s undergone a double mastectomy to decrease her risk of further cancer, after undergoing so much radiation therapy.

Fortunately, Katherine has been cancer-free for over a year and wants to share how her experience inspired her to become a paramedic—especially because all the medical care interrupted her opportunity to go to university.

Being rushed to the hospital as a teenager sparked her interest in emergency medicine.

“The staff were so incredible. It really hit me that the medic crew was amazing and how cool it would be do something like that.

“I now know that was just in a day’s work for them, but the care they gave has really stuck with me. They gave me exactly what I needed.”

Katherine trained to become an emergency medical technician (EMT) in the London Ambulance Service and believes her cancer diagnoses has made her more empathetic and better able to relate to her patients.

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Now, months after the last diagnosis she’s seen how her chosen career has been enhanced by the cancer.

“It has made me acutely aware of my abilities, my empathy, and compassion – it’s given me that skill,” she told news agency SWNS.com.

“It’s a connection I have with these patients – an emotional connection of course, but more than that I have a real understanding of the physical aspects of what they are going through, like the hair loss and everything else.

“When I go to patients like that, that’s when the penny drops for me that I’m in the right job. I get this wave of happiness that I’m in the right place, I’m where I belong.

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“I come away and I feel like I’ve been able to give someone a little bit of positivity about what they are going through.”

Katherine explained how she has “reframed” what happened to her in positive light—and is currently thriving in her career.

“People would assume that the time I spent sitting in a hospital getting treatment was just horrible. But I got so much exposure to medicine and clinical pathways in that time, I use that knowledge gained from those experiences every day now.

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“So now I use it as a superpower and I’d advise anyone going through a similar situation to try to do the same.”

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