Glasgow cafe's special gesture for teen who suddenly died

Kaya-Imaani Chambers, from Newlands, passed away after a short battle with cancer in May leaving her family and friends devastated.

Now staff at Singl-end cafe in Merchant City are paying tribute to their 18-year-old colleague, with one yellow empire biscuit at a time.

They are selling the treats and donating £1 from every sale to the KAYA Foundation, which was launched by her mother Donna Sinclair.

Kaya had a short battle with cancer (Image: Sourced)

The 56-year-old told the Glasgow Times what it meant to her, she said: “Kaya was too important to forget so it means a lot to see people support her foundation.

“We want to help get early diagnosis and offer free MRI scans in her memory to save lives and cut huge waiting times.

“She was such a funny and amazing person who was always thinking of everyone else so now we are thinking about her.

“The idea for the empire biscuit came from the cafe. It is such a nice idea, yellow was her favourite colour.”

The empire biscuit sales will help the KAYA Foundation (Image: Sourced)

Kaya had developed stomach problems and a cough around February this year and went to her GP several times for help.

The promising Strathclyde University student was given antibiotics and ultrasounds which failed to help - before finally being given a blood test which raised alarm bells.

Scans then showed she had cancer which is believed to have started in her kidneys before spreading to her lungs and bones.

Despite the devastating diagnosis Kaya didn’t shed a single tear and went on to comfort friends and family with jokes.

Kaya's friends and colleagues are paying tribute to her (Image: Newsquest)

She passed away at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital six weeks after her diagnosis.

Now Donna has launched the KAYA Foundation in her beloved daughter's memory, she said: “We will never know if an early scan could have saved Kaya, but it couldn’t have hurt.

“If the doctors had more information sooner they might have been able to treat her differently.

“I do not want any other person or family to go through what we have, you wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

“No one can be prepared for a diagnosis like that, but we want to help and make a difference which I hope the foundation can eventually do.

“There's a lot of work that needs to go into it but we will get there.”

Kaya is being honoured by her family and friends (Image: Newsquest)

Singl-end cafe posted: “This has been a difficult year for us with the passing of our ray of sunshine Kaya who fought a short battle with cancer.

"To know Kaya was to love her and she has left an immeasurable mark on all of us.

“Our cake table will showcase yellow empires for the full month, with £1 from every sale donated to KAYA Foundation.”

The NHSGGC have been contacted for comment.