It still matters deeply to Lanarkshire mum Elaine McHugh that she can always say "Eilidh" – the name she and her husband gave to their exuberant younger daughter, meaning "shining light".
Having earned a first class Honours degree with distinction in Pharmacy from the University of Strathclyde in 2016 through sheer hard work, 22-year-old Eilidh – a former Holy Cross High School Dux – was embarking on a dream career that would enable her to make people feel better when she was struck by an extremely rare and incurable cancer.
Five years on, saying her name and being her voice in the world ensures Eilidh’s light continues to shine for mum Elaine, dad Mick and sister Kerry.
The family will forever miss the future they had with the exceptional young woman with the good heart, who was, they say, "the love of everyone’s lives".
Together with the University of Strathclyde, the family created the Eilidh McHugh Scholarship Fund.
Working with friends and local businesses, they raised more than £100,000 in Eilidh’s name to create more than 20 scholarships which were awarded in order to remove financial burden from aspiring young people who might otherwise find themselves excluded from university study.
Professor Sir Jim McDonald, the principal of the university, described Eilidh as “a wonderful young woman and an outstanding student who was a positive influence on everyone who engaged with her, and her memory will continue to be a true inspiration for other young people.”
Elaine, of Bothwell, explained: “Others always said that Eilidh made it cool to be clever. One of her student friends said she was the coolest and trendiest girl at Strathclyde. She never followed other people. She just did her own thing.”
At Eilidh’s funeral, £4000 was collected in Beatson Cancer Charity buckets – the first donation in an extraordinary on-going fundraising journey in aid of the charity and in memory of Eilidh.
As a family, the McHughs always knew they had to make good in Eilidh’s name.
They had to be her voice in the world. They needed to know that from this tragedy they could continue to make a difference to other people’s lives.
To this end, the family formed a partnership with Team Eilidh and Beatson Cancer Charity.
“We wanted to focus on something specific,” Elaine explained. “Beatson Cancer Charity initially said that among other things, they needed a new and more interactive website that would give more direct advice and assistance to those impacted directly and indirectly by cancer.”
Together with the Beatson Cancer Charity team and the chosen website developer, the family helped to shape the charity’s new communication portal which launched in the first week of the pandemic in 2020 and became an instant and crucial communication line for patients and families who could no longer personally attend the centre.
An illuminating feature of the charity’s online presence is Eilidh’s Light, which tells what her family insisted was not to be a sad story, but one that guides people towards sources of support. That’s something, says Elaine, that would have made their girl proud.
Told through the words of those who knew her well, Eilidh’s Light is the story of an exceptional young woman – a star, who was beautiful, gifted, vibrant, loving and full of courage. And it tells of someone who devoted energy and time to developing her wide range of talents with a particular purpose in mind: a desire to give her best in improving the lives of others.
Managed by Beatson Cancer Charity, the Eilidh McHugh Tribute Fund, driven by Team Eilidh, has embarked on a range of fundraising activities and events including 10k runs, a three peaks challenges, sky-dives and head shaves, marathon bike rides, concerts and Kiltwalks, coffee mornings, ladies’ lunches and a tartan and tiara ball. Team Eilidh has members the length and breath of the UK, Ireland and beyond, who fund-raise in her name.
Team Eilidh events have contributed to the incredible £350,000 generated to benefit patients and families living in the shadow of cancer.
“We cannot raise funds solely as our family. We are heavily reliant on people’s compassion and love and support in everything we have done,” said Elaine, 61.
The latest of these events will be held this Friday (April 1) at Dalziel Park Hotel and Country Club, where friends and family will gather for Eilidh’s Light Ball to further fund raise for Beatson Cancer Charity and support the development of a new and inspirational project in Eilidh’s memory.
Eilidh’s 31-year-old sister Kerry said: “The name Eilidh means light, and that’s exactly what Eilidh did – she shone. She always had a smile on her face, she was beautiful inside and out.
“She was moral, thoughtful and insightful, and she always tried to do the right thing. She was the love of everybody’s lives. Everybody loved being in her company. She had a special gift for the way she made you feel, like you were the most important person in the world. Together, these qualities made her something quite special. And she remained this way right to the end, enduring her last journey with dignity and courage.”
A Beatson Cancer Charity spokesperson said: “We are so grateful for the support we continue to receive from the McHughs.
“Following Eilidh’s passing, the family have raised over £350,000 for Beatson Cancer Charity. The money raised from the ball will go towards supporting our work, including new services which will support more patients and families.”
* Beatson Cancer Charity’s online space, created in celebration of Eilidh McHugh, provides information, advice and support to help people through their cancer journey. Find it at www.beatsoncancercharity.org/my-light/
To make a difference, donate by visiting www.beatsoncancercharity.org/donate/
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