Family holds a memory dear

By Rebecca Fraser
A 20-YEAR-OLD Narre Warren South man has lost his brave battle with cancer.
Last Friday, more than 300 people gathered in Endeavour Hills to bid a heartfelt goodbye to Kayl McLachlan, who was diagnosed with an incurable brain tumour last year.
Mr McLachlan passed away on 22 May in Casey Hospital. This week his mother Margaret Baines said the funeral had been a celebration of his short but full life.
Earlier this month, Ms Baines contacted the News after an act of generosity ensured her son’s memory would be forever etched in his family’s heart.
The family sat for a glamour portrait on the Easter weekend at Starshots Glamour Studio in Fountain Gate, and when Ms Baines returned to collect the photos the company had given them another large framed photo at no cost.
Ms Baines said this kind gesture had become even more special following Kayl’s passing, as they would now have the images forever.
In another act of kindness, former students from Berwick Secondary College, where Kayl went to school, created a picture board for the funeral, tracking down photos of his debutante ball and images of his lead role in a school play.
The family held his wake at Sweeney Reserve after being let their Narre Warren clubrooms at no cost.
Money given to Kayl for the 21st birthday he never reached was used to pay for the celebrations.
“You could say that he paid for his own reception, but that is what he would have wanted. It was a real celebration of life and everyone shared their good memories. It was really very special,” Ms Baines said.
Close friends also returned to the family’s home following the wake, with 18 people lining the back yard singing Kayl’s favourite songs.
“This was very special for the family to see,” Ms Baines said.
Ms Baines said the treatment the family and Kayl had received at Casey Hospital had been nothing short of wonderful and staff had made a difficult time a lot easier.
“I cannot speak highly enough of Casey Hospital. They let his friends in, no matter what the time was and for us, honestly, that was so brilliant.
“The fact that he was a young person and they let him continue be a young person for the rest of his life was just so great. He was treated with so much dignity and was allowed to be young until the end,” she said.
Ms Baines also expressed much gratitude for his close band of friends who had supported her family and Kayl through the entire experience.
“His friends never deserted him and they made it so much easier for us.
“They did not run and hide. They stuck it through until the end.
“They never backed away from Kayl,” she said.