Heather lit up everyone’s life

Oct 28 2008 by Lynn Jolly, Paisley Daily Express

WHEN courageous Heather Sloan realised that one day she might lose her fight for life, she didn’t want pity.

Instead, the brave Paisley teenager set about making sure her funeral will be just the way she wanted it.

Now her loved ones will grant her final wish by wearing bright colours as they celebrate her life, during a poignant service at Woodside Crematorium.

They will also honour Heather, who discovered she had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma when she was just 16, by making sure her request to be brought to the service in a pink coffin is met.

Her heartbroken mum, also named Heather, told the Paisley Daily Express: “She passed away on Saturday morning at home in my arms.

“Heather had a great bunch of friends and the girls came round to see her in her bed before she slipped away. They sat and talked to her and got to say their final goodbyes.

“Heather wanted people to wear bright colours and we want the funeral service to be a celebration of her life. She will have a pink coffin.

“She wanted people to have a good day. She didn’t like sadness. She was a party girl and she wanted, as much as possible, for this to be a party and for people to wear pink and yellow.”

Heather provided inspiration to thousands of Paisley Daily Express readers in January when we told how her young friends Kirsty McConnell, Lizzy Murray, Danielle Dreghorn and Lynn Millar were so impressed by her bravery that they organised a fun run to raise cash for good causes on her behalf.

In February, the fun run and a karaoke night raised £4,500 for Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital, the town’s ACCORD Hospice and the CLIC Sargent and Lymphoma Association charities.

Later that month, the Express helped make a dream come true for 18-year-old Rangers fan Heather when we set up a meeting with her hero, Spanish striker Nacho Novo.

She came face-to-face with Nacho and some of the other Ibrox players thanks to the Rangers Charity Foundation and took her brother Scott along for company.

Further fundraising pushed the total gathered in for Heather’s four worthy causes to £6,000 and she was full of pride as she presented donations to Ken Mathie, from ACCORD, and Moira Robertson, consultant haematologist at the RAH.

Throughout her brave battle against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma – which is a form of cancer – Heather had wonderful support from her mum, dad Hugh, brothers Scott, 30, and Jamie, 22, and sister Sheryl, 23.

Her death has left a huge void in the lives of her family and friends.

Mum Heather, of Ferguslie Park, Paisley, said: “The Queen song Don’t Stop Me Now was always her theme tune. It just summed Heather up perfectly and she asked that it be played at her funeral. We will also release yellow balloons.

“I have been looking on Heather’s Bebo site online and there are a lot of tributes that show she was well thought of.

“She lit up everybody’s life and it has been a comfort to me that she knew and inspired so many people.”

Heather, who was also much loved by her sister-in-law Jenny and was aunt to Alex and Melissa, had battled her illness all the way, but, a fortnight ago, doctors decided her condition had deteriorated to the extent that they were stopping her treatment.

Her mum said: “Towards the end, she was just tired. She’d had enough.

“My brother, Lawrie McLauchlan, took a sudden heart attack and died recently and Heather took that really badly. They were always very close and doted on each other.

“Heather told me that she missed him but said at least he would be waiting for her. That was a comfort to me because I wasn’t able to grieve properly for my brother because Heather was so ill.”

l Heather’s funeral will take place at Woodside Crematorium, in Broomlands Street, Paisley, at 11am on Friday.