LITTLE Laura Graham is facing an uncertain Christmas and new millennium after being struck down with a mystery illness.

Laura was just like any other five-year-old until she fell ill two months ago and now she is housebound and cannot walk.

Her mum Carol suffers from cerebral palsy which means dad Peter has to stay at home to look after Laura.

And to add to the family's problems they have been told it will be three to four months before Laura gets a wheelchair. Peter, of Sunnybank Street, Darwen, said: "All this is an absolute nightmare. It started in October when one morning Laura woke up and couldn't walk. I took her to the doctor and he called an ambulance straight away.

"She was in hospital for 16 days. At one point she was so ill she couldn't sit up in bed, she couldn't talk and lost all her co-ordination. She couldn't control her tongue so she had to be fed by a tube.

"She has had every test going - a CT scan, MRI scan, lumbar puncture and blood tests but they have all come back normal and the doctors don't know what is wrong.

"She had chicken pox two weeks before this happened and the doctor's think it could be linked to that but they don't really know. She is improving and her speech is getting better but she can't walk which means we can't take her anywhere."

Laura's social worker and occupational therapist applied for her to get a wheelchair to help her get around but the family were told it could be three to four months before it arrives. Peter said: "I've been on the phone pleading with them to rush it through, and the occupational therapist marked Laura's case as urgent.

"When I rang up I asked how many other children were on the list and they told me 16 - Laura is number 17.

"I realise there are problems with people not returning chairs and I know other people are needy too, but Laura is stranded without a chair.

"To me this shows the two different sides of the health service.

"Ever since Laura has been ill the doctors, hospital, social worker and occupational therapist have all been fantastic with us.

"But the wheelchairs come from the Disablement Services Centre in Preston, and there doesn't seem to be anything we can do to get a chair for Laura any sooner."

The wheelchair problem is the last straw for the family who have seen a year of suffering.

Laura's two-year-old brother Lucas was struck down with deadly meningococcal septicaemia in February this year, and then Laura also fell ill.

Peter said: "Christmas is a real problem. "I can't work as I've got to look after Laura because Carol's cerebral palsy means she can't lift Laura if she falls.

"We can't claim any benefits for Laura's disability because she won't qualify until she has been disabled for three months.

"It has got to the stage where we are having to sell things to pay for Christmas."

Judith Roberts, spokeswoman for East Lancashire Health Authority, said: "We don't discuss individual cases, but in general the average waiting time for a standard wheelchair is six weeks.

"When ELHA took over this contract about two years ago the average wait was 40 weeks so it has improved tremendously.

"If this little girl's wheelchair needs special modifications then that could be the reason for the delay."

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