Mother's plea for a wheelchair for her son

Liam Lynch, from Mallow, with his mother Grainne at Cork University Hospital. Liam will have to have skin grafts and needs a new powerchair to cater for his growth.
Mallow teenager Liam Lynch, who requires the motorised wheelchair, has been in hospital since January 19 and has missed his mock Junior Certificate examinations as a result.
The HSE said funding restrictions mean it cannot process all applications for powerchairs immediately.
Liam has needed a wheelchair since the age of seven when he was diagnosed with a tumour in his spine and scoliosis.
His mum has been appealing for a new powerchair, to accommodate his growth, for more than six months.
“He’s had a powerchair for the past four or five years and he’s outgrown it,” said his mother, Grainne Lynch.
“Liam needs a special moulded seat and his occupational therapist recently said it needs a moulded back because of his scoliosis.
“We’ve been waiting months for a new chair and as a consequence, Liam has suffered stage four pressure sores,” she added.
A stage four pressure sore can cause extensive damage as it reaches into muscle and bones on occasion.

Mum Gráinne added: “It’s so frustrating, he has to have surgery next week, all because he couldn’t get a new chair, because his case wasn’t deemed urgent enough.