Isabel McEgan (17.5.2000 – 10.5.2020)

We feel that the short, but well-lived life of Izzy, requires a special mention.  As a child, through to her teenage years, Izzy consistently demonstrated both resilience and tenacity; consistently supporting and contributing positively to her local community in so many ways; some may say she had a prescience – that her life needed to be lived to its fullest and to always be the best that she could be.

She joined Rainbows in 2005, at the age of 5, progressing to Brownies, then Guides.  By the age of 16, she was a young leader in Girlguiding, and by 18 had achieved both the prestigious Queen’s Guide award, the highest award in guiding and was presented with her Gold Duke of Edinburgh award by HRH Prince Edward at Buckingham Palace on her 18th birthday on 17th May 2018.

Despite quite severe dyslexia, Izzy didn’t let anything hold her back; she just found other ways to do things or worked harder to achieve them.

After successfully completing her A’ levels, she went on to study Philosophy at the University of Liverpool.  During her first year, Izzy applied to Camp America, and was thrilled to win a role as counsellor at a girl scout camp, Camp Small Valley, in Pennsylvania. 

Izzy flew to the US at the beginning of June 2019. She thrived in this environment, loving the like-minded friends she made and the children she worked with.  However, ongoing issues with her wisdom teeth meant numerous doctor visits during her stay.  After surgery to have them removed, it was discovered that the issue was in fact a tumour; Izzy flew home immediately.

Tests back at home revealed Izzy had renal cell carcinoma; already stage IV and incurable and in August 2019 she began immunotherapy, followed by targeted therapy to try to prolong her life. The treatment was difficult, but Izzy was stoic and continued to remain positive throughout, even during the final couple of months, where she was isolated from wider family and friends due to the covid pandemic.

Isabel died on 10th May 2020, just 7 days short of her 20th birthday.

Izzy had her own life plan – in fact, after she died, it was discovered pinned to the back of her wardrobe door, outlining her goals.  Sadly, many remain unfulfilled, but the biggest; ‘Always Be Happy’, was certainly met.

I would suggest that Isabel, or Izzy-Bee as she was affectionately known, possibly achieved more in her two decades of life, than many do in eight.  Her DoE and Girlguiding achievements speak volumes about her personal drive and determination to succeed in life, but also the relationships she made, which endure after her passing. 

Her guide leader, Sam Fallon, was inspired to create a guiding badge, ‘The Bee Challenge’ in her memory.  The badge is undertaken by guides and scouts worldwide and part of it includes designing a pebble to leave in Izzy’s memory. An Instagram account ‘BeemoreIzzy’ records these as far away as Lapland to Argentina, Canada to New Zealand and it seems fitting that people around the world continue to discover her legacy and be inspired to #beemoreIzzy.

The director of Camp Small Valley, Julie Queen, remained in close contact with Izzy after she had to leave camp.  She said the Girl Scout’s motto ‘Building girls of courage, confidence and character’, encompassed everything she had seen in Izzy and her life.  After Izzy passed away, Julie continued to remain in contact with Izzy’s family, and was instrumental in setting up the ‘Izzy Bee Memorial Scholarship Fund’, which supports young adults financially, to be able to work abroad at summer camps with children and enable them to make the amazing experiences Izzy had so enjoyed.

Whilst studying full time for her degree, Izzy also worked part time for TK Maxx in Liverpool, making wonderful friends and a positive impression on everyone she worked with. 

Despite no longer working at TK Maxx, after returning from America, they continued to support Izzy during her treatment, keep in touch, and even awarded her the ‘Outstanding colleague of the year’ award at their annual awards ceremony held in the middle of her treatment, in December 2019.

A TK Maxx fundraising day across the North West after Izzy died, raised funds to buy a beehive in Izzy’s memory, which is kindly maintained in perpetuity by the Liverpool Beekeepers, specifically John Mooney, and TK Maxx continue to support Claire House Children’s Hospice with both charitable donations and voluntary work at the hospices by their staff.

Izzy’s year 6 teacher, Sarah Bond, now headteacher at her primary school, Eccleston Lane Ends, also remembered Izzy fondly and wanted to do something to remember her and the impact she had on people’s lives.  The Isabel McEgan award for Determination is an annual award, presented to the child who has shown the most determination and positivity throughout the year.  The message: Dream big and work hard.

In just 19 years, Izzy’s enthusiasm, kindness and determination positively affected so many people; her legacy, to be remembered warmly in so many ways, a reflection of the impact she had on the lives of others; an inspiration to always try to #beemoreIzzy

#BeemoreIzzy is an Instagram account dedicated to tracking pebbles made and left in memory of Isabel McEgan (17.5.2000 – 10.5.2020)