Rutherglen Reformer

Rememberin­g a loved aunt

Rutherglen seamstress eases the pain

- NIKI TENNANT

A video in which a teenage boy unwraps a cushion made out of his beloved late auntie’s favourite jumper has gone viral, receiving more than one million views.

Keigan Thomson, 13, struggled with the loss of his much-loved great aunt Angela Thomson, after she lost her battle with cancer, aged 60, last April.

His mum, Alana, stumbled across a Facebook post by Rutherglen seamstress Naomi McGleish, whose business produces memory bears and cushions from the favourite clothing of lost loved ones.

Alana asked Naomi if she would craft a cushion from one of her Auntie Angie’s favourite jumpers to help bring Keigan some comfort.

Naomi agreed and instantly got to work on the cushion.

“Me and Keigan were extremely close to her,” explained 34-year-old Alana, of Glasgow’s East End.

“Keigan used to go and have a cup of tea and a biscuit with her. He’d rather be in there with her than playing outside with his pals.

“He had been going through a hard time, grieving, and I thought the cushion would be a nice gesture. When she was going for chemo, she wore all sorts of different colours. Because he’s a boy, I chose one of her black jumpers for the cushion so that it could stay in his room.”

Not only did Naomi include every tag and label from the jumper Angela had worn on her trips to hospital, she also scanned Angela’s signature from an old greetings card.

Next to Angela’s picture stitched on to the cushion is a message which reads: “This is a jumper I used to wear. When you hold it, you will know I am there,” and it’s signed, in her own handwritin­g “Auntie Angie”.

After Alana had wrapped the cushion and presented it to Keigan last Christmas, he was filmed burying his face in it and has treasured it since.

The number of views the clip has received now stands at more than one million.

“I could never have imagined it would get that kind of reaction,” admitted Alana, who went on to commission three more memory bears from Naomi – one for herself and others for Angela’s daughter and granddaugh­ter.

Naomi – mum to nine-yearold twins William and Naomi – says she’s been astounded by the reaction the video has received.

“Alana said she’d record it for me, so I could post Keigan’s reaction,” explained Naomi.

“The views have just gone up and up. There have been people from all over the world – Poland, France, Italy and America. It’s quite overwhelmi­ng when you consider it’s just wee me behind it.”

See more of Naomi’s work at www.facebook.com/ twinsmumsm­arket.

 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Pride of place Keigan keeps the cushion on his bed
Pride of place Keigan keeps the cushion on his bed
 ??  ?? Great aunt Keigan was close to Angela Thomson, who died last year aged 60
Great aunt Keigan was close to Angela Thomson, who died last year aged 60
 ??  ?? Emotional A tearful Keigan with the cushion made from Angela’s jumper
Emotional A tearful Keigan with the cushion made from Angela’s jumper
 ??  ?? Memento A memory bear made from Angela’s clothes
Memento A memory bear made from Angela’s clothes

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