The mum of a clinically vulnerable 10-year-old said getting the coronavirus vaccine is the first step to getting "her quality of life back".
Michelle Atkins told the ECHO she hopes now her daughter Jessica has had her first vaccine they can return to normality after the family has shielded for two years.
Michelle said Jessica has quadriplegic cerebral palsy amongst a number of different conditions so her risk of catching covid and being seriously ill remains high.
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The family has shielded at home for two years with their only contact with the outside world coming from Michelle's parents and a smattering of consultation appointments.
Michelle told the ECHO "it's been a long two years of feeling forgotten".
The 43-year-old from St Helens said because they have shielded because of covid health fears, Jessica has suffered greatly from the lack of social interaction.
Due to shielding at home, the only contact Jessica's had with friends has come from zoom calls.
Michelle said: "It's been hell to be honest but it's been even harder recently now restrictions are being lifted and people are getting their lives back.
"Jessica went to a mainstream school despite her needs because she was a very timid child so we wanted her to have social interaction.
"We got that sorted at school but she's a very nervous child again now if she hears loud noises.
"When she does see her friend on Zoom she gets very excited and even though she's non-verbal you can tell she misses them.
"When she was at school she loved being there and she was adored by everyone there.
"She's lost all of that - it's really sad because she's spent a fifth of her life shielding."
The whole family has suffered from the lack of social interaction and Michelle admits she's recently been personally struggling.
Jessica requires 24/7 care and because the family is shielding, everything from her physio to her education falls on the shoulders of Michelle and her husband Chris.
Michelle currently works part time for a charity and admits it is hard to fit in the work while caring for and educating Jessica.
She added: "We completely locked down at the start of the pandemic and even now we only see my parents because they are also shielding for our benefit.
"They come here and that's the limit to what we do - it just feels like Groundhog Day to be honest with you.
"I thought I couldn't do four weeks at the start of the pandemic but here we are two years later.
"It's just hard work as Jessica requires 24/7 care.
"The days are very long and very similar so it's hard to keep motivated to ensure she has the routine.
"But everything is down to us and we'll do anything for her."
Michelle said both her and Chris are vaccinated and work around the clock to stop covid entering the house by wiping down any item that comes through the door.
But they have pushed for Jessica to be vaccinated to allow her to have contact with the outside world in the shape of a tutor or a social visit with her friends.
Alder Hey Children's Hospital offered vaccinations for vulnerable children aged between five and 11 over the weekend starting February 12 - and Michelle and Chris took the first opportunity they could to get Jessica her first jab.
Michelle said: "We're still living with an awful lot of uncertainty but we're hoping we can get back to some sort of normality.
"We hope once Jessica has her second vaccine we can get a tutor to come and visit her so she can see someone else apart from her mum and dad.
"We just want to do anything we can to get her quality of life back."
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