Sibling Support

Children and young people often struggle to cope or express their feelings, when their brother or sister dies. We provide support to siblings in Scotland through the gifting of age appropriate books to families about the loss of their brother, sister or twin. This is due to the incredibly generous support of one family, who wanted to do something to remember their precious daughter, Lyle.

We also have a twin and multiple loss support group for families.  A place to get support and meet others who have experienced something similar.  More information is available here.

This is Lyle’s story:

“In August 2019, our world was shattered when one of our newborn baby twin daughters, Lyle, died suddenly and unexpectedly at home aged only 22 days old. Lyle’s death was so sudden and such a shock. This was hard enough for my partner and myself to get our heads round, but we also had a 5 year old daughter to consider.

Our daughter is an incredible girl but she found the loss of her sister challenging.  As her mum, all I wanted was to make things right for her and access the right support.

We felt that we could make a difference to other families so we approached Held In Our Hearts and set up ‘Lyle’s Light’- a local Scottish fund for bereaved siblings in memory of our beautiful baby girl Lyle.” Jamie Cameron.

Details of all the books that are available for gifting to families in Scotland are below. If you are living in Scotland and would like to order any of these books please email info@heldinourhearts.org.uk and we will send them out to you.

You can also get in touch with Richmond’s Hope, who offer support to bereaved siblings through play therapy in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The books below are all available to be gifted to families, thank you to the wonderful generosity of Lyle’s Light. Jamie, Lyle’s mummy has kindly shared some guidance on each book:

The Invisible String

“This is by far the best book I have read to explain separation of any kind to a child. I used this before Lyle died to help Cameron get used to being away from me for sleep overs occasionally and also on the death of my uncle. A mother explains to twins how even if she isn’t with them, they are still connected by an invisible string of love. Cameron really loves the idea of being connected to Lyle with love and she will often say that she felt Lyle pulling her Invisible String. And you know what, I often feel Lyle pulling our Invisible String too.”

The Story Of… My Baby Brother / The Story Of… My Twin / The Story Of… My Baby Sister

“This is a story full of hope and love. The book is specifically designed for siblings who have lost a baby brother or sister. It discusses lovely ways the older sibling’s baby brother or sister is always around them, even though they can’t see them. It always makes my daughter laugh that her baby sister could be the funny thing that makes her laugh (in the story it’s a cat burping- always a winner in our house!), or a pretty butterfly who floats past. It’s nice to think of our daughter as part of all the lovely every day things that we do.”

These PreciousLittle People

“This is a lovely book that is written by a bereaved mum whose eldest daughter, Esme, was stillborn. In the book, the author explains how babies grow and that sometimes, no matter what stage of pregnancy or beyond, a baby may die. It also discusses how we can remember our babies who died. I found that the book approaches really difficult subjects in a way that is sensitive and easily understood by children. I thought it was so beautifully written and we get a lot of comfort reading it. ”

Always My Twin

“This book is really useful to explain to a surviving twin about the loss of their sibling. I find that for me it is a good way to explain how happy I am to have Alba but how sad I am to have lost Lyle. It is appropriate for twin loss really at any stage. It covers funerals and nice ways for your surviving twin to remember their sibling.”