Shelley Sykes marked the first anniversary of the Malibu wildfire that claimed her son Rory by placing a three-foot Phoenix statue on the 17-acre estate and burying some of his ashes beneath it. Rory, born blind with cerebral palsy, defied early prognosis by regaining sight and learning to run before he died from carbon monoxide poisoning after his locked cottage burned on Jan. 7. Shelley now lives in a small off-grid house on the property and plans to relaunch her charity and build a "happy home" for children, while finishing a final chapter to Rory's book, Callum's Cure.
Mother Honors Son Lost in Malibu Wildfire With Phoenix Memorial — Remembering Her 'Miracle Baby' One Year On
Courtesy of Shelley Sykes (2)
One year after the devastating Malibu wildfires, Shelley Sykes has erected a three-foot-tall Phoenix statue on the 17-acre Mount Malibu estate she built for her son, Rory Callum Sykes. Beneath the statue she placed some of Rory's ashes as a lasting tribute to the son she calls her "miracle baby."
Courtesy of Shelley SykesRory Sykes at a fundraiser for the Happy Charity
Now 63, Shelley tells PEOPLE the year since Rory's death has been swift yet unbearably hard. "You never lose it, you never forget your baby. He was my miracle baby," she says.
Courtesy of Shelley SykesRory and Shelley Sykes in Anartica in 2000 when Rory was 7.
Rory, who was 32 when he died, was born blind with cerebral palsy. Doctors once feared he would neither see nor walk, but against those odds he regained his sight and ultimately learned to run — achievements his mother remembers with pride.
Courtesy of Shelley SykesThe Syke's property in Malibu hours after the fire
"It isn't what happens to you in life that counts. It's what you do about it that matters," Rory told his mother, a phrase Shelley recalls often.
Fire conditions near the estate intensified on the night of Jan. 7. Authorities advised evacuation, but many residents stayed. Shelley remained on the property, watching the cuckoo clock–shaped cottage where Rory lived. When she saw sparks on the cottage roof, she ran for help and for a hose but found no water. The cottage door was locked; by the time responders returned, Rory was gone. Detectives later told Shelley her son died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Courtesy of Shelley SykesShelley Sykes at her son's memorial July 29, 2025 (their shared birthday) reading a poem she wrote about her son
In the months since the blaze, Shelley has been living in a small house on the parcel that was spared. The temporary home lacks running water and electricity; she travels to a friend's house to bathe and do laundry, and sleeps bundled in multiple layers to stay warm. Permits and insurance money to rebuild her original residence have not yet come through, but she is grateful to remain on land that holds so many memories.
Courtesy of Shelley Sykes
Shelley and family held a memorial on Rory's birthday, July 29, which she describes as "emotional, but beautiful." To mark the anniversary of the fire, she accepted an invitation to attend a gathering at the Palisades Veteran's Club alongside families of 12 other people who lost loved ones in the blaze.
Looking forward, Shelley plans to relaunch her charity and pursue Rory's dream of creating a "happy home" on the property for children without stable housing. She also intends to finish a closing chapter for Rory's book, Callum's Cure, using it as a teaching tool to encourage compassion and kindness — qualities she says Rory embodied in abundance.
"I think it's not how long you live, it's how you fill your life with love," she says. "And he was very loving."
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