A prisoner in my own home

Sean McMahon
in Virginia

A sixty-eight-year-old woman, who has not been outside in three years, has told The Anglo-Celt that she feels like a prisoner in her own home. Eileen Kilcoyne from Lateaster, Virginia, suffers from rhumatoid arthritis, and is pleading with the Health Services Executive to supply her with a specialised motorised wheelchair to give her back her freedom.
Speaking to the Celt in her home last Friday, Eileen said she’s praying that she’ll have the wheelchair in time for her niece’s wedding next Saturday, March 14. A sample wheelchair was brought to Eileen’s home last October for an hour but she has been on a waiting list for her own ever since. Having used the chair for an hour, she immediately could see it had the capacity to transform her life. Eileen’s story grabbed the attention of the nation last week, when she spoke about her condition and quality of life on RTÉ’s Joe Duffy Show. She resides with her daughter Kelly and her son-in-law Damien Denning and their daughters Elle (9) and Teagan (3).Blessed with a very engaging personality and a big music lover, Eileen used to play the accordion but her condition now means she cannot. She is crippled with arthritis in her hands, knees, shoulders, feet and neck. “I’m in pain all the time,” said Eileen who had to stop taking her medication due to an ulcer. She has also suffered two strokes, which affected her eyes, but thankfully her eyesight returned. “I have to have my eyes tested every so often and have a check-up done.” Eileen can’t get out to a dentist and has had no top teeth for a number of years. “I can’t even smile. The dentist can’t come to me. It is not like the optician. If I had the suitable wheelchair, I would be able to do all these things. Surely I have a right to be able to get out and attend a dentist.”
She continued: “My niece Elaine is getting married on the 14th March in Ballyjamesduff. I would love to go to the wedding. I thought I would have had a wheelchair by now. Elaine and her fiancé Mark told me that they will come out to me straight after their wedding and have a photograph taken with me, prior to going off to the reception.”
She adds: “If I don’t get out, one day I will explode.”

My mum is my best friend
The situation is taking a toll on her daughter Kelly too. “My mum is my best friend and we used to go everywhere together and it is very upsetting. It is very upsetting that she can’t do that anymore,” Kelly told the Celt.
“My mother can’t join us for Christmas dinner – she has to sit down here on her own,” added Kelly, who said it takes Eileen 20 minutes to get to her bedroom across the hall.

Thanks
Both Kelly and Eileen would like to thank Andrew Maher from Pharmaher Healthcare in Duleek. He contacted the Joe Duffy Show when he heard the story and sent down a van load of stuff the next morning to Eileen including shower chairs, cushions, aids for the toilet, heat patches and walking sticks. “I cried and I cried when they left off all the stuff the other morning. There are some good people out there. I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart for their generosity,” said Eileen.