A disabled mother with one leg has been forced to crawl up a flight of concrete stairs to get to her flat for years, despite the local council promising to get her an accessible home. Tracey Whiteside, 48, has had to crawl up and down 17 stairs every day to her second-floor flat in Linwood, Renfrewshire, for almost four years. The concrete steps, which people have urinated on, are often covered in used needles from drug users. Tracey has hit out at the local authority after they told her that she is a priority for a new accessible home despite 100 ex-council homes lying empty just over a mile away. Tracey, who only leaves her home to visit her GP or her local support group for amputees, has slammed the decision to get rid of the homes when people in desperate need could have them instead. She told the Daily Record that her painful crawls up and down stairs have had a huge impact on her mental health. Tracey lost her leg in August 2020 after suffering from a congenital disorder and neurofibromatosis for 40 years. As a result of her condition, Tracey also has non-cancerous tumors in her spine which causes severe pain. She said: “Why can’t one of those homes be adapted to suit people like me? People like me are left prisoners in our own homes. There’s days when I just feel like giving up and I feel as if its all my fault or that I’m just putting extra stress on my family.” The stairs are so filthy that Tracey is surprised she hasn’t caught any infections going up them. She added: “Sometimes I’ve crawled through urine and not realized it, I’ve often burst into tears when I’ve been dragging myself up them in crippling pain. It’s even worse if somebody else is there and your on your hands and knees like an animal.” Tracey said the whole experience is “soul-destroying” for her and has been left worrying that her horrendous climb could further damage her body. Doctors have said that the extra strain on her remaining leg could cause her to lose it. She has fractured her collarbone, dislocated her shoulder, and damaged the joints in her leg by doing so. She added: “I feel like these stairs will be the death of me.” Tracey has pleaded with the local council to relocate her to an accessible home, but she has remained number 66 on the list since November 2019. A spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council told the Daily Record: “The health and wellbeing of our tenants is our top priority. Our Local Housing Office is working to source suitable accommodation for the Whiteside family to meet their needs and has arranged a home visit to discuss this with them and will continue to do everything we can to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”
Disabled Mum Forced to Crawl Up Filthy Stairs for Years, Despite Empty Council Homes Nearby
