Care support and mobility aids help mother stay positive

 A woman from Canada has given a frank and honest account of what it has been like to care for her son, who has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Although the condition has meant that the lives of the entire Roma family have significantly changed, support from healthcare professionals and plans for a new stairlift to be installed have kept them feeling positive.

Karen Roma conducted her interview with a local Canadian reporter, which can be read in full here. In the interview, she remembers the things that her son Nick used to do before he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia 21 months ago. Nick went into septic shock and doctors were forced to amputate all four limbs – an operation that was needed to save Nick's life. This has meant that Nick now has severe mobility difficulties and needs help with eating, washing and dressing, and Karen told reporters: "I had a hard time accepting it".

Thanks to support from nurses, physiotherapists, doctors and community support, the Roma family are very positive about what the future holds for Nick. He has a number of prosthetic legs and wheelchairs that have helped him remain mobile and walk again, albeit with much more difficulty than before.

Karen and her fiancé Robert Plantic have now purchased a new family home that is better suited to Nick's needs, with no carpets to make it easier for him to walk using his prosthetic limbs; the property is also completely open plan so that it is more straightforward for him to manoeuvre. They are also arranging to have a stairlift, adapted walk-in shower and ramp installed so that Nick can do even more by himself. He is very independent and Karen says that he is happy to get himself ready in the morning if she lays out his clothes, toothbrush and pills, so the independent living aids will be a great addition to their home. Nick himself is determined to enjoy the things that he did before his condition was diagnosed, telling reporters, "I'm going to live the best way I can."

Image Credit: jetheriot (flickr.com)
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