A dying Scots gran got her final wish to see her family before she passed away after her granddaughter gathered 40 loved ones for a heartwarming early Christmas party.
Chelsea McWhinnie's gran Jane, 68, had been told weeks ago she had two months to live after developing a rare form of breast cancer called spindle cell carcinoma.
On Saturday she beckoned Chelsea to her bedside in a palliative care unit and asked her to get everyone together for a final festive shindig.
After the festivities had concluded Jane drifted off to sleep for the last time and passed away peacefully on Monday night.
She was a few days short of her 69th birthday.
Chelsea, 30, from Dundee, said the impromptu Christmas celebration came about after Jane had been admitted to the Roxburghe House palliative care centre at the city's Royal Victoria Hospital earlier this month.
While the plan had been to hold the party on Jane's birthday on November 20, her gran's deteriorating condition meant the shindig had to be fast-tracked.
"Gran got breast cancer a while ago, a really rare kind, and she had a mastectomy and things seemed to be okay," she said.
"But a couple of weeks ago we contacted the hospital because she was in a lot of pain and it turned out it had spread elsewhere.
"Her favourite time of year has always been Christmas and we had planned to do Christmas on her birthday.
"But on Saturday she said to me at about 1.30pm: 'I can't handle the fact I'm never going to see my family together outside [of here]'.
"She got really upset about missing Christmas. Family is her thing - and she was worried about not seeing everyone.
"She told me she needed to have her Christmas and see her family all together."
By 4pm - just two and a half hours later - Chelsea had assembled 40 loved ones, costumes of Santa, an elf and the Grinch, a Christmas tree, lights, crackers, cards and chocolates for everyone to unwrap in the presence of their beloved matriarch.
With her bed steered out onto the lawn at Roxburghe House, Jane was able to enjoy her last Christmas surrounded by her nearest and dearest - even if it was a little early.
Chelsea added: "She needed to see everyone so I sent messages out telling everyone: 'You need to get into your car and get here now.'
"My gran was everything to everyone, we were all very close to her, and I just wanted everyone to be together.
"When we got her back inside she said: 'I don't know how you managed that'.
"After that she went to sleep and never woke up again.
"The last thing she heard was my grandad Billy, proud as punch, saying: 'Jane, you're going to be in the Daily Record.'"
Jane was a lollipop lady for several years at Dundee's Sidlaw View Primary School. Chelsea says she has been inundated with messages from people who had been shepherded across roads by her years ago and had wanted to pay their respects.
Chelsea added: "I just wanted my gran to have everything she wanted that day. Everyone got their chance to go up to gran and say their goodbyes and so she could tell everyone how much she loved them."
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