A-Z Of Great Scots
Maggie Keswick Jencks, the founder of cancer support charity Maggie’s, was a true inspiration to many
IN May 1993, Maggie Keswick Jencks sat beside her husband Charles in a corridor at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital. They had just found out she only had three months to live.
Maggie was diagnosed with breast cancer five years earlier, but it had spread. As the couple absorbed the horror of her diagnosis, they discussed the need for a dedicated cancer centre near the hospital, where people like her could go to find solace and support. A place to remind them that life, however short, could be cheerful.
An advanced chemotherapy trial gave Maggie an unexpected second helping of that precious life, and her three months turned into two years. She used the time to work on a proposal for the cancer care centre.
Alongside Charles and her medical team – in particular her oncology nurse, Laura Lee – Maggie masterminded a beautiful space in the grounds of Western General Hospital. She wanted it to be stylish and calm, with ample room to rest, weep, think and chat, with a medical team on hand to share information and answer questions.
Architect Richard Murphy drew up designs to convert an old stable block at the hospital. When Maggie died on July 8 1995, the blueprints for the very first Maggie’s Centre were lying on her bed. She didn’t get to see her idea become a bricks-andmortar reality, but she did know it would be in safe hands.
The following year, Laura became chief executive of the Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust, better known as Maggie’s, and she and Charles worked hard to bring the first Maggie’s drop-in centre to fruition. Maggie’s Edinburgh opened in 1996, and six years later, the Glasgow
“Filled to the rafters with sunlight, love and hope
centre was unveiled, soon followed by Dundee. Since then, Maggie’s Centres have popped up across the United Kingdom, as well as abroad in Barcelona and Tokyo.
Maggie’s incredible legacy and spirit can be felt inside each one of her centres. Filled to the rafters with sunlight, love and hope, they are vital hubs that help ease the feelings of despair and dread that come with life-threatening illness.
The bold and brilliant Maggie Keswick Jencks has made it possible for people with cancer to embrace the joy of today, even if there might not be a tomorrow.