THE mum of a terminally ill teenager has been locked in a five-month battle to move to a bigger home after her daughter began end-of-life care.

Caitlin Shaw, 15, spent eight weeks in hospital after contracting double pneumonia in April.

Caitlin has a number of complex health problems, including Klippel-Feil syndrome – a rare skeletal disorder – and Kyphoscoliosis.

The 15-year-old, who attends Rudheath High School, also has numerous heart conditions. At birth doctors gave Caitlin hours to live, but she has defied them on four occasions.

Samantha Wrench, Caitlin’s mum, was told to prepare for the worst in April when she began palliative care.

Northwich Guardian:

Caitlin Shaw, 15, suffers from a number complex conditions

Ms Wrench, who is Caitlin’s carer, said: “They’ve told us four times now and Caitlin always bounces back.

“We’re noticing this time it’s a bit different. She’s a lot more poorly than the last times they’ve said it.

“They’ve basically just told us to come and make memories with her, and that’s what we intend to do.”

Caitlin is fed through a tube due to her plummeting weight and has to use an oxygen machine.

“It’s been horrible,” Caitlin said. “It’s been very, very bad – the worst year I’ve ever had.

“Since the night everything happened, I have a lot of nightmares and a lot of panic attacks and I’ve never had them in my life. Now I have them a lot and it’s horrible.”

Following the scare, doctors recommended they moved to a bigger property. Ms Wrench applied to West Cheshire Homes in April and this was picked up by Weaver Vale Housing Trust, which own the house, in June.

The two-bedroom bungalow, in Rudheath, does not have a bath and is not wheelchair-friendly.

Northwich Guardian:

Caitlin's mum says their bath-less bathroom can't meet her needs

Ms Wrench lives in the home with her partner Ian MacVicar.

The trust has offered options to extend the house, but WVHT has given no indication of timescales and Caitlin would have to move out of her home while the work is carried out.

Ms Wrench said: “It’s frustrating because I feel like I’m failing Caitlin because I can’t attend to her needs as well as I should be able to.

“I can’t keep her comfortable as much as I need to. She’s just cramped up in a little room. Half of her stuff is in my room.”

On Tuesday, WVHT met with the family and offered them a house in Helsby, but told the Guardian they declined the offer because moving out of the area would not be in Caitlin's best interest.

Northwich Guardian:

Caitlin Shaw, Samantha Wrench and stepdad Ian MacVicar

Judith Burbidge, director of Neighbourhoods at WVHT, said: “We have been working closely with Ms Wrench and her daughter since June this year to ensure that they have access to suitable accommodation so her daughter can receive the care and support she needs.

“Our team has been exploring all possible options to help the family, including finding alternative housing. Unfortunately, there is shortage of specially adapted housing near to Ms Wrench’s current home that will meet their specialist needs, which includes a ‘through floor lift’.

“Currently, out of the 6,100 homes we own, only 15 have this specialist lift fitted into a room, of which only one is currently empty. We have offered the family the opportunity to move to this available specially adapted property, which they are currently reviewing.

“We have also developed a number of options to carry out major building adaptations to the family’s current property, which includes working with architects and the planning office, and we will assist in applying for the local authority funding needed to carry out this complex and large scale work.

“We will continue to do everything in our power to help the Ms Wrench and her daughter at this difficult time.”