Jak Trueman's mum invited to West Calder High prom

Jak died in February last year, just days after fulfilling one of his final wishes – to go to his school prom.

Although the big day was still two years away, his friends hastily arranged a makeshift ‘prom’ with Jak as the guest of honour.

The brave 15-year-old overcame his pain, dressed up in a smart suit and accompanied his girlfriend Hannah Boyd in his wheelchair to the ‘prom’ at a suite at Livingston Football Club.

Tragically, it would be one of Jak’s final outings. He lost his battle against rare Gammadelta T-Cell Lymphoma just 48 hours later.

Now Jak’s mum Allison Barr has received a touching invite to join his schoolfriends at their real end of high school prom.

The invitation to the West Calder High School prom was delivered by two senior pupils, Lorna Martin and Jordan Drummond.

They revealed the 2017 prom is to have a special gold theme to reflect the colours of the charity set up in Jak’s name, the Team Jak Foundation.

Since it was launched, the charity has raised nearly quarter of a million pounds. Last year Jak’s Den, a base for young cancer patients and their families to receive support and relax, was opened in Livingston.

Allison, of Mid Calder, said: “This is a huge honour. I was completely blown away when I opened the envelope and saw the invite.

“I burst into tears, it completely took my breath away. It’s so unexpected.

“As if one prom wasn’t enough – to remember my boy in such a lovely and poignant way is simply amazing.”

Jak was in his fourth year when he fell ill. He lost his brave fight just two weeks after learning there was nothing doctors could to save his life.

Yet the determined teenager captured the nation’s hearts when he pledged to make every final minute count, and launched a major fundraising drive to help other young people battling cancer.

Within days he had raised more than £40,000.

The fundraising continued after he died and last December the Team Jak Foundation unveiled Jak’s Den in Livingston, a support base for young cancer patients and their families.

Allison went on to accept a string of awards in Jak’s memory, including last year’s Evening News Local Hero Award.

Jak’s mum Allison now plans to attend the West Calder High School Prom, which will be held next June at Houston House Hotel in West Lothian, along with his sister Aimie.

The invitation arrived just a few days before what would have been Jak’s 17 th birthday – his family is planning to mark the day with a fundraising bowling day, on Sunday, 18 September.

Allison added: “It was a very emotional moment to receive the invitation.

“Lorna, who delivered the invitation, was born the day before Jak and we were in the same room at hospital.

“I thought the girls were just coming to talk about the charity.

“Instead they said they had a meeting with the new headteacher at the school and she had given them permission to invite us.

“What beautiful and caring girls. I’m so excited, but I’ll probably need five boxes to tissues to get through it.”

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