Mum and stepdad Alison and Mark Carter always thought they would know when their daughter Amy’s death was coming due to her long-term struggles with health conditions.
But when she died at the age of just 23 in December 2018, it came as a shock.
Though her death certificate reads Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), lupus was the contributing factor behind her ill health.
“When we lost Amy, we wanted to do something in her memory,” says step-dad Mark.
“So we turned it into Amy’s Place so we could talk about her everyday.”
The cake and gift shop is painted purple and butterflies are dotted around the space, both of which symbolise lupus.
There is also a collection tin where customers can leave a donation for Lupus UK.
‘Running Amy’s Place on Skye is like therapy for us’
Mark and Alison opened Amy’s Place in September of 2019.
As well as serving delicious cakes, Amy’s Place also serves as a form of “therapy” for husband and wife Alison and Mark.
“Running Amy’s Place is like therapy for us,” explains Alison.
“It’s something we’re doing in Amy’s name and we want her to be proud of us. That keeps us going.
“It gives us a reason to get up in the morning.”
Their daughter, Amy, had been suffering from lupus since she was just 14.
According to the NHS, lupus can manifest in a range of symptoms, including joint and muscle pain, extreme tiredness, hair loss, swollen glands and more.
Health professionals at first believed Amy was suffering from “growing pains”, but when it got to a point where she struggled to walk and had to be carried up stairs, Amy was eventually diagnosed with lupus.
Amy had to give up horse-riding when she was diagnosed, which had a big toll on her mental health, according to her mum.
It came as a huge shock to Amy’s mum and stepdad when she died suddenly in December of 2018.
“It was in December of all months,” says Mark, “which is never a great month for us now.
Alison adds: “She was really excited at the time. She was two weeks away from coming up to spend Christmas and New Year with us.”
‘I suppose we always thought we would see it coming’
Amy’s mum, Alison, recalls: “Although Amy had had lupus since she was 14, and we’d almost lost her about 18 months before from kidney failure – I suppose it is always in the back of your mind that something could happen – but we always thought we’d know it was coming.
“That she would be in hospital, and very poorly, and maybe something would happen that she wouldn’t recover from.
“I suppose we always thought that we would see it coming.”
Amy passed away at her flat in Yorkshire. She had moved back there so that she was in closer proximity to the healthcare she needed for her numerous appointments.
“We couldn’t get in touch with her this particular day, and we sent someone round to her flat.
“They couldn’t get an answer, and they could see that her key was in the lock.
“From then on, we contacted the police and she was found in her flat.”
Now, Amy’s Place on Skye is a way for them to remember her, and tell her story every day.
The shop is at Torrin, south-west of Broadford.
“As a bereaved parent,” Alison explains, “you wouldn’t normally get the chance to speak about your child very often.
“People don’t know how to speak about it, or avoid you because they don’t know what to say.
“With Amy’s Place, we have a reason to say her name every day.
“And that is really therapeutic for us.”
‘People start opening up to us’ at Amy’s Place
But it isn’t just Mark and Alison who benefit from the conversations which occur in Amy’s Place on Skye.
The cake shop provides a support network for other lupus sufferers and grieving family members.
Alison tells me: “It’s really important for people to know that there’s other people who understand.
“Because losing a child isn’t something everyone has experience of, and it’s not something that you’d normally feel comfortable talking about.
“It sort of opens it up for people to talk about their own circumstances.”
Mark and Alison have made strong friendships with customers, exchanging stories, letters, photographs and more.
“There are times when the shop goes quiet, and people start opening up to us,” Mark explains.
“We talk about Amy, and maybe they’ve gone through something similar.
“And we sort of bond together at the end.
“And sometimes we can talk about it quite happily, and other times we just break down in tears.
“Then we become a big, soppy mess in the middle of the café.
“But it’s good that people feel safe to open up to us.
“We have so many customers who have stayed in touch.
“We get photographs of their children, letters sent to us.
“A lot of visitors return to Skye year on year, and their first port of call is always coming to Amy’s as soon as they’ve checked in.”
The small cake shop is home to various gifts and crafts, including Skye’s Misty Isle Makes crafts and Kitchen Witch soaps.
They also serve a range of cakes and bakes made by Alison, plus Tiree Tea and Royal Deeside’s Roaring Stag Coffee.
Mark and Alison often donate 50% of cake sales to Lupus UK.
He adds: “I hate waste.
“We tend to distribute leftovers and distribute them to the hospital or become cake fairies in the village, and everyone gets a bit of cake on their doorstep.”
Conversation