Kayden McKevitt (11), who lives in Kilmore, north Dublin, has osteoporosis, scoliosis, breathing problems, chest infections and is non-verbal.
He’s required to be in a wheelchair and on a breathing machine at all times. His heart rate and oxygen levels have to be measured constantly and he has to be fed through a tube.
At the moment, Kayden can’t have a shower as their bathroom is too small for his wheelchair to get into, so he gets washed with a basin.
A request for adaptations for a bedroom has taken six years to go through a tendering process with Dublin City Council.
Back in August, the family received the good news that they will be getting a new house in January, and Kayden’s mam Gemma is delighted.
“Someone came out to look at the current place we’re in and apologised because we were waiting so long. They want to give us a new house in the second week of January,” Gemma said.
“Kayden is finally getting his bedroom and his bathroom. I’m over the moon. I didn’t expect a new house, I expected an extension but this is a fresh start for us, a new house for new memories.”
At the moment, Kayden has no privacy in the sitting room as that’s where the family sits down to watch television. He’s in a bed that isn’t suitable as his legs are coming out over the side.
Kayden has a younger sister and two brothers who haven’t been able to watch the Late Late Toy Show as a family due to the lack of space in the sitting room. But none of this will be an issue in a matter of weeks.
“When his night nurse comes, we can’t go into the sitting room so we’ve nowhere to go,” Gemma said.
“Now we’ll be able to watch TV in the evenings. When the Toy Show was on Kayden was trying to sleep, so we couldn’t be disturbing him while he slept.
“We’ve a small Christmas tree in our sitting room and one of my daughters asked why we didn’t have a tree as pretty as other people’s trees. Next year she can pick the tree and the decorations when we have more space.
“It’s a four bedroom house and one room will be turned into a bathroom. Kayden will be in the centre of the house where we can hear him. He’s at the back of the house here,” she added.
