When Calum Speirs passed away from an inoperable brain tumour in February 2007, his twin Jenna lost not only her brother but also her soulmate, hero and best friend.
Determined the world will never forget her incredible “other half”, Jenna has spent the last 16 years keeping his memory alive and is living life for both of them.
Not only has she brightened the lives of thousands of sick children through Calums Cabin - the charity she runs with her parents - she has become a radiographer in a bid to help cancer sufferers like her brother.
Jenna, 28, who is a specialist therapeutic radiographer at Edinburgh’s Western General, said: “Calum will always be part of me. We are two halves of the same whole and when he died I decided I had to live on for the both of us.
“Now everything I do is for him as well as me - every experience and every memory. I carry him with me and want to make him proud. I’m determined no one will ever forget him.
“Calum was an inspiration to me and everyone who knew him, and he thought of others right until the end. He may only have been here for 12 years but he inspired more people in that time than most do in a lifetime.”
Jenna added: “From the minute I lost my brother I knew I wanted to be a radiographer so I could help other people just like the wonderful folk at the Beatson helped Calum.
“I’ve worked at the Western for nearly six years and can empathise with every family who come through the door as I’ve been there and know just how tough it can be especially for the siblings. I like to think Calum would be proud of the career I’ve chosen, inspired by the brave fight he put up.”
Calum’s dying wish was for his family to set up a holiday retreat near their home in Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute, where children with cancer could come to make memories.
Two years after Calum’s death, his dream became a reality with the opening of the Cabin - fast forward 16 years and the charity have three holiday homes on Bute, one in Ayrshire and one in Fife.
In 2017 the charity opened their first flat in Glasgow, where families can stay together while their child receives cancer treatment in hospital. They now have nine and are busy raising money for a tenth.
Jenna misses her ‘special’ brother every day but said she takes comfort knowing everything she, her mum Caroline, 56, and dad Duncan, 60, have achieved is contributing to Calum’s legacy.
She said: “I honestly can’t believe how much the charity has grown. It’s crazy and it’s all thanks to our amazing supporters who have helped us raise more than £8million and our army of incredible volunteers.
“We now have two holiday homes - Calums Cabin at Straad and Calum’s Cottage, near the town centre. For 30 weeks a year we rent accommodation at Mount Stuart and during the Easter and summer holidays we hire holiday homes in Anstruther, Fife and at Dumfries House in Ayrshire.
“I think Calum would be pretty shocked. I think he thought we might have just about managed a caravan on Bute but now more than 160 families get the chance to holiday together and make precious memories.
“You just have to read the memory books to realise the difference Calums Cabin has made to people’s lives. It’s a chance for families to spend time together away from hospital stays and appointments.
“I have lost count of the number of people who have told us when they have asked their child where in the world they would like to go after treatment finishes their little one has replied ‘Calums Cabin.’
“They associate it with the family being together, mum and dad being relaxed and getting to play with their siblings. They are offered the world and they want to come to Bute - how magical is that?”
Jenna, who was crowned our Sunday Mail Great Scot of 2008 for her dedication to fulfilling her brother’s dream, said Calum would be blown away by the Glasgow flats.
She said: “The flats give families the chance to be together in a “home from home” while their child is undergoing intensive treatment at the Beatson Cancer Centre or the Children’s Hospital.
“The charity owns nine flats and is renting another two. We are now raising money to purchase flat number 10 which will be another incredible milestone. We need to raise at least £250,000 and we will.
“Thanks to the charity set up in Calum’s name, 16 families are being supported every week either in the flats or in the holiday homes. His dream has snowballed into a million dreams come true. I think he would be blown away.”
In the UK, five children are diagnosed with cancer every day so the need for the charity will sadly never wane. Jenna said: “It’s sad but we have waiting lists for the flats and for the holidays which shows you just how many families in Scotland are going through what we did. That’s why we need flat number 10 and no doubt when we achieve that goal we will be seeking out number 11.”
Jenna said realising Calum’s dream has been a massive team effort with her mum and dad the driving force behind it all. She said: “I don’t know how my mum and dad do all that they do. They are just incredible. Mum spends every waking moment keeping things running and my dad manages to juggle his job with Calmac and the charity.
“Calums Cabin has become a huge concern but to us it is still Calum’s wee dream that has just happened to get bigger. It will always be personal to us.
“We could not do what we do without all our wonderful supporters. It is a massive team effort from the people who greet the families when they arrive and clean the holiday homes and flats, to those who volunteer in our two charity shops and take part in our many fundraising events. We cannot thank them enough.”
Jenna, who helped design the stained glass window in the original cabin that depicts her brother as a beautiful blue star, said: “I still miss Calum every day but knowing we have fulfilled his original dream and much much more makes me smile.
“There have been lots of tough times along the way but things have always worked out in the end, which we are sure has been down to him.
“I always describe Calum as the brightest star in the sky and the day we picked up the keys for the last Glasgow flat we came out and found a paper star lying on the ground. I think that’s his way of saying he’s watching over us and his incredible legacy.”
To donate to Calums Cabin or for more info go to www.calumscabin.com.
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