Published: Wednesday, 9th September, 2009 9:00pm

'Give me my old life back'

by Danielle Harney

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A young Athlone woman has made a public plea for help as she has spent over one year stuck in a hospital ward because of a lack of funding for home nursing care.

Sammy Brill from Kilmacoo Avenue, who has spinal muscular disease and other health complications, has been in Portiuncula Hospital since August 2008 when she suffered three collapsed lungs and further medical complications.

Although she has now recovered, she cannot return home because the HSE has no funding and no staff available to provide her with a 24-hour nurse.

Sammy and her mother Patricia wrote to the Westmeath Independent this week to describe their frustrations at the lack of support Sammy is receiving.

"Her life is here in Athlone, going into town, the shops and out to Bozos, but she can't do that any more," said Patricia, speaking to the Westmeath Independent yesterday.

"Do the HSE expect to leave her there in hospital? I fought for 30 years for her, we shouldn't be made fight. We're told in a boom and in a recession that there's no money, so it's not that. There's just no forward planning by the HSE," she added.