A two-year-old girl from Co. Carlow is in constant pain because of a curve in her spine, her parents have said.
Little Shannon Proctor of Bilboa suffers from scoliosis and has been left with little to no medical support.
Her parents, Yvonne and Lee Proctor are now crying out for help for their daughter.
She has no access to physiotherapy or speech therapy and is on no long-term pain management plan.
That's according to the Carlow Nationalist.
The occupational therapist who had been working with Shannon left the area in February.
She also had a social worker who had been helping to navigate the path to help, but she also left Carlow.
Yvonne and Lee say Shannon is in constant pain and even bites her own arms and hands in an attempt to cope.
It's also reported that the two-year-old is often up all night crying in pain, with her parents now at their wit's end.
Getting worse
Shannon attends the National Children's Hospital in Crumlin, but while at home, she is under the care of the Children's Disability Network Team.
She has not seen a physiotherapist in months and the curve in her spine is worsening.
An occupational therapist is now needed to come and adjust Shannon's special equipment.
The family had been scheduled to meet with the Children's Disability Network Team in Carlow for an individual family service plan, but the appointments were cancelled twice.
When the meeting did come about, the Proctors were just told that there were not enough people on the team and that very few services would be available.
They were also informed that it is unknown when they would become available.
Other children
Yvonne and Lee are parents to four other children, who also have additional needs.
They have paid for assessments on some of their children as they could not wait on HSE waiting lists any longer.
Sophia (10), Oisín (8), and Leah (7) are three of the couple's four other children.
The two girls have been diagnosed with autism, while Oisín has got ADHD.
Shannon has another sister called Mollie-Anne who is three.
She taught herself sign language by watching children's TV shows and she is now teaching Shannon.
The Proctors are desperate for help and have set up a Facebook page to share updates on their journey.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website Beat102103.com.
