Lynn and Steve Smedley were a pair looking forward to some well-deserved rest in retirement, after dedicating 15 years of their life fostering children.
The pair fostered more than 100 children over the years, from premature babies with cerebral palsy through to single teenage mums, reports the Daily Record. Lynn and Steve were planning to retire together in a bungalow in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, before disaster struck suddenly.
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In April 2017, their lives were flipped upside down when Lynn received a call from her husband stating that he was coming back home in a hurry. He told his grief-stricken partner that their daughter, 32-year-old Carrie Smedley, had died in her sleep.
Single mother Carrie who looked after her three boys - Ruben, 17, Jaden, 11, and Uche, 10 - was found tragically by her youngest son, Uche, who couldn't understand what was going on. While the two young sons couldn't comprehend the situation, eldest boy Ruben understood and took his brothers to a family relative to keep them safe.
On DIY SOS on Monday night, grandmother Lynn said: "It was actually Uche that had found her, he was six. He and Jaden just thought they couldn’t wake mummy up.
"They got their big brother Ruben, he came upstairs and realised what had happened. For those two little boys to have had to found their mum like that.
"Ruben, who was 13 at the time, went straight to my mum's who lives not even five minutes away."
Lynn added: "They're never going to forget not being able to wake her up and Reuben will never forget not being able to save her. I knew I had to do something for these boys. They're my priority now."
Lynn went to Carrie's house to deal with the aftermath of the shock passing, then picked up her grandsons to live with her and Steve for the foreseeable. Another twist of fate was awaiting the family, however, after Steve was made redundant just two days after his daughter's death.
The family squeezed into a small, two-bedroom bungalow, with the three brothers sharing a single room and a triple bunk bed. This gave the kids no extra space to be alone or to grieve for their mum in peace.
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One bathroom had to suffice the now five-strong family, and Lynn had to do all the washing and ironing in an old wooden shed due to a lack of space. This had created a unnecessary amount of "extra stresses" for the family, on top of the sudden redundancy too.
Steve stayed and looked after the boys while Lynn worked 23 hour weeks as a healthcare assistant to manage the bills. But, the family were struggling financially, big time.
Ruben even offered to move out so his grandparents would have more money for his younger siblings, but the pair were in no mind to let him leave. Steve said: "There's no way in a million years we'd let them go anywhere else."
Ruben opened up on DIY SOS about his regrets on not spending more time with his mother as he turned into a teenager. He spoke to Nick Knowles in a private chat, saying: "When I turned 13 I never got out of my bedroom. I regret that, I never got to spend time with my mum.
"I’ll never forget her because she’s my mum but I try to think of the good times. I never really think it’s just about me or my brothers. It’s about everyone. It’s about my Nan and Grandad and just the family."
Ruben's younger brothers say they love him because he sticks up for them and is always there for support. Lynn even offered up her own bedroom for Ruben in the evenings so he could have some time away from his little brothers.
Lynn was in mixed emotions when she got the call that DIY SOS would be coming to help back in 2019. It was a massive help to the family, but made the death of her daughter Carrie all the more real.
She said: "When I got the call, it was amazing, I was so pleased. I thought, how much easier is life going to be. And then I thought, do I want it? Do I want this, because I want Carrie. It’s confirmation she’s not coming back. It was like a rock hit me."
Nick and the team came to transform their home with the help of a "Cornish army" of caring volunteers from the area who donated their time, expertise and building materials. The house was completely gutted and an extension was built so the boys could have their own space, while their grandparents got a private bathroom.
The family couldn't even eat meals together previously, but they were given a new spacious kitchen and dining area with banquette seating. One of the boys was given a double bed in his Cornish-themed room, which also features a desk and a surfboard on the wall.
While the garden has been transformed into a massive social space with a patio, wooden dining furniture and a BBQ. The DIY SOS team also created special places in the house in tribute to Carrie.
A memorial garden was made so the boys could find a quiet space to go and remember happy memories of their mum. The house is full of little reminders, including a willow tree and photographs and artworks.
There are also 103 ornamental butterflies to represent each of Lynne and Steve's foster children, as well as an extra special one for Carrie. Lynn felt like she was in a dream when Nick led her to the transformed house, and was overwhelmed by the sea of volunteers who had helped.
Lynn said after the house reveal: "When we realised we had lost Carrie, we were devastated. Nothing can prepare you for losing a child.
"But our first instinct was to protect the boys. There was no hesitation the boys would come and live with us, then reality struck.
"It has been extremely hard at times, no privacy or space, no time to grieve. But the boys come first. We can now move forward and build our lives."
You can catch up with this episode of DIY SOS on BBC iPlayer. DIY SOS airs on Monday's at 8am on BBC One.
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