Offaly woman left carrying daughter with cerebral palsy up and down stairs

A Tullamore woman is desperately seeking new accommodation for herself and her two children, one of whom has cerebral palsy.

Leanne O'Connor is currently living in an Offaly County Council owned three bedroom, two storey house, at Chancery Close, Tullamore.

She is due to give birth to her third child in six weeks time. The father of her children is involved in their lives but the couple are ''not together,'' said Leanne. In addition he doesn't live nearby, this means that Leanne has no option but to carry her daughter Shianna who is almost six, and unable to walk, up and down the stairs numerous times a day to the bedroom and bathroom. Only a few weeks ago Leanne fell down the last few steps of stairs with her daughter in her arms.

Leanne said her daughter is over the weight limit for being moved by a hoist, but in any case she doesn't have one. Furthermore, Shianna is peg fed four times a day through her stomach with specialised milk.

The council has suggested adapting downstairs for Shianna, but Leanne doesn't want to leave her daughter alone at night while she is upstairs as she is non-verbal, cannot use her legs or call out for assistance in the night and space is a huge issue due to all of the equipment and supplies she has. She is due to get more equipment soon which will add to the problem.

''When I was placed in this house I straight away said it could not be a permanent home for my child. It is not wheelchair accessible whatsoever, for example both points of access front and back have steps. The hallway is very narrow, has stairs, and has no wet room,'' said Leanne.

''Shianna was a wheelchair user moving in here. The council have numerous reports from the occupational therapist, including the lady who does assessments for the council, they have numerous consultant reports from over the last five years. I am unable to get a meeting with anyone, and in the last few weeks cannot even get a phone call returned to me.

It is causing a huge amount of stress and my child's intervention team have also said this house is unsafe for my child's needs,'' said Leanne.

In addition Leanne said her son is awaiting tests at Crumlin as he is unable to walk or talk at two. ''I think he is autistic,'' added Leanne.

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Another suggestion from Offaly County Council is to swap with her father who lives on the same estate. However, her father doesn't want to move as all his memories of his late wife who died in April are in the house.

Leanne is looking for a bungalow and is willing to move up to 9k outside of Tullamore if the council can find her a suitable place to live. She is anxious not to go too far away from the town as Shianna is attending Offaly special needs centre in Tullamore and is very happy there and Leanne says the staff are brilliant. ''I will drive to Tullamore, and there are bus services. I will work it out one way or another if I get a place,'' said Leanne.

''I am paying rent every week. I'm quiet and keep to myself. It's getting to the point now, that it's affecting Shianna's abilities. She spends most of the time in the sitting room, unless we are wheeling her around. They (Offaly County Council) knew all this when I moved in here.''

We have contacted Offaly County Council for comment and are waiting for a response.