AFTER being placed on end-of-life care, 20-year-old Caitlin Shaw has set her sights on ticking things off her bucket list – starting with a holiday abroad.
Mum Samantha MacVicar has set up a Go Fund Me page in the hope of raising enough money to grant her daughter’s wish, and so far, more than £2,500 has been donated.
Caitlin, from Northwich, was born with a severe heart condition called aorta stenosis (heart valve disease) and regurgitation of the mitral valve and leaky valves, plus only one working lung.
She went through life-saving surgery at three and six weeks old and again aged six years, which stabilised the aorta for some time.
At 10 years old, Caitlin was also diagnosed severe klippel-feil syndrome (fusion of bones in the neck), scoliosis kyphoscoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine) and a combination of health issues that had ‘never been seen before in this country’.
Caitlin was unable to undergo any surgery to correct her spine due to her heart conditions and lives in constant pain and restricted mobility.
Samantha explained: “We have now been told the aorta has again narrowed and the doctors have upgraded the stages to severe from mild and moderate.
“But this time it's become inoperable, leaving the doctors to make the heart-breaking decision to withdraw treatment and to start palliative care treatment, being told the longest you can live with severe aorta stenosis is one to three years.
“The hardest thing a parent can do was listen to their daughter agree to a DNR (do-not-resuscitate order).”
Caitlin and her family are now fundraising to fulfil some of her last wishes.
At the top of Caitlin’s list is being able to go abroad on holiday, something which hasn’t been an option for her until now because of medical teams restricting what she could do for most of her life.
“Sadly, she is unable to fly due to the complexity of her heart and lung condition and the cabin pressures,” Samantha said.
“The only option we have is to take her by cruise which will prove expensive with the added expense of holiday insurance.
“We are hoping as a family that we can achieve at least this one last wish with the help and support of others to complete some of her bucket list before her health deteriorates more and see her continuing to smile.”
Samantha said her husband is a Royal Artillery veteran and it was the veterans who encouraged the family to start a Go Fund Me page to put Caitlin’s plans into action – they have since donated generosity.
You can donate to Caitlin here: gofundme.com/f/caitlins-wishes.
“Caitlin’s been restricted all her life,” Samantha explained.
“She’s not done what other people have done.
“She watches videos on social media and sees people doing things who are her age, and she wants to do those things too and explore.”
Caitlin’s dream would be to go on a Disney cruise, and she also wants to visit places across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
Samantha said: “Caitlin is a very strong, brave young lady and an inspiration to others.
“She has a smile that lights up the room and an infectious laugh with a wicked sense of humour that everyone loves.”
Caitlin has even raised money for charity herself and has taken part in two marathons.
“She has and still remains to put up one almighty fight and battles against all odds,” Samantha added.
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