A Scots mum who was left paralysed by an orange-sized brain tumour says she feels like a prisoner after being ‘trapped in her bedroom’ for years. Mary Frances Bradley claims that her North Ayrshire Council home is too small for her wheelchair to move around and has to be carried from room to room by her husband Thomas.
The 47-year-old, a former cleaning supervisor, had a large mass on her brain removed during emergency surgery at the Southern General Hospital in 2013.
But the mum-of-two suffered left-sided paralysis below the waist as well as losing the function of her left hand - leaving her unable to work. Husband Thomas, also 47, tried to keep his job as a bin lorry driver but was forced to give it up to care for his wife’s complex health needs, which include terrifying seizures.
After having to sell their home, the couple and their children were later housed in the Dalry property in 2016 but have faced a battle ever since to be moved to a suitable house. Speaking through tears, Mary said: “I’m at my wits end. We just don’t know what to do anymore.
“I’ve been trapped in my bedroom for years. I’ve had five nervous breakdowns and over the last year, my husband has had three strokes which we think is because of the stress of it all. I feel like I’ve been passed from pillar to post by the council.
“They say they don’t have any houses so years down the line, I’m still living like a prisoner in my bedroom. I’ve basically been trapped here in hell. I’d be better off in jail.
“I’m a wheelchair user but the house isn’t big enough for it so my husband has to carry me off the bed, onto the toilet, everywhere. The bathroom isn’t big enough for my chair so I have to get bed baths.
“My kids have had to watch this and my daughter moved out because she couldn’t bear to watch it anymore. It’s just horrendous. Some days, I just don’t want to live anymore.”
Mary told how her world turned upside down in June 2013 after a severe headache resulted in her passing out at her family home. She was rushed to hospital where medics found the large tumour.
She added: "My husband and I both worked for North Ayrshire Council. He was a bin lorry driver. We’ve worked our whole lives.
“I was one of these people who worked every hour. I was a cover cleaner as well as a cleaning supervisor. One day at work, I got a really bad headache and had to come home early. I went for a bath and then lay down in my bed.
“When I woke up, I had a cramp in my leg and went unconscious. The next thing I knew, I was in the ambulance on my way to Crosshouse Hospital where they had to get me stabilised.
“They did a scan and found a mass on my brain the size of an orange. They said I needed emergency surgery at the Southern General to have the brain tumour removed. But I’ve been left paralysed from the waist down and my left hand is deformed.”
The mum-of-three says the family knew the property was unsuitable for a wheelchair user when they moved in but felt they had no choice after selling their own home to make ends meet.
She added: “As soon as we moved into this house in 2016, I knew it wasn’t right or adaptable for my wheelchair. I was told to wait for a year before applying for a swap but then I had to fight to get enough points in the housing system.
“I now have the maximum number but we’re still waiting. Recently an occupational therapist came out to see and she said the house is a danger to me. It’s just unreal.
“Now I’ve got mental health issues that I never had before because I’m basically a prisoner. I just feel like no one is listening. I now take seizures which make me fall. I’ve had black eyes and banged my head off the radiators because it's all so cramped.”
A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “While we generally don’t comment on individual cases, we can confirm we are continuing to work with the tenant to meet her specific housing needs.
“Allocations are made on the basis of an applicant’s housing need and in line with the North Ayrshire Housing Allocation Policy. In this particular case, while the tenant has the necessary housing points in their application, unfortunately there is a lack of availability of suitable accommodation in the locations they have requested which will meet her requirements.
“We are very sympathetic to the tenant’s situation and will continue to work with her in the hope that we can resolve the situation to everyone’s satisfaction as soon as possible.”
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