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SHOCKED and angry... Duncan and Jeanette Forshaw.
How long has she got left?
Michael Byrne20/ 1/2006
A SMITHY Bridge man has branded council officers 'heartless' for asking how long his cancer-suffering wife was expected to live before agreeing to pay for an extension to his house.
Duncan Forshaw's wife, Jeanette, has been confined to a wheelchair since a steel rod inserted in her leg to help her walk snapped.
Doctors had hoped to replace the rod in the autumn, but decided the procedure was too risky.
Since then Mr Forshaw has been trying to get help from the council's occupational therapy department to have an extension built on to their Lodge Bank Road home for a downstairs bedroom.
Mr Forshaw claims that after waiting more than three months for a decision he was told a decision hadn't been made because they didn't know how long Mrs Forshaw was going to live.
Mr Forshaw, who has raised thousands for the Christie Hospital, where Mrs Forshaw has been treated, said: "Jeanette and I are really distressed and upset by this, particularly when I was also told the department was going to ask Jeanette's consultant how long she will live.
"The doctors have never told me how long Jeanette has to live and I have never asked them. I hope she will live for many years to come.
"Council officers have been round and seen that we can't put a stairlift in because the staircase is too narrow.
"There isn't enough room to have a bedroom downstairs so we need to have the extension.
"But it will cost thousands and we just can't afford that without help from the council."
A Council spokesman said: "Adaptations need to be appropriate to the needs of the client, both in the short and longer term and we also need to ensure that the limited resources available are used most effectively.
"However, this is not simply an issue of cost, we also have to consider the disruption that would be caused during any building works and this impact on the client's quality of life.
"Building work and the associated processes involved in an extension can take up to a year to complete.
"We appreciate the sensitivity of the family's circumstances and every case is considered on an individual basis.
"We are seeking additional information relating to Mrs Forshaw's medical condition.
"This is not an unusual step.
"A decision on the best course of action to ensure the quality of her care cannot be made until this information has been considered."
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27/01/2006 at 11:11
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3/02/2006 at 15:59