Help for the absolutely wonderful HELEN TORR

Hi everyone. My name is Vic and I’m Helen’s daughter.

As lots of you already know, my mum has struggled with her health, and mobility, for many years but more recently things have got much harder for her and sadly everyday is a struggle for her.

For those that are unfamiliar to her story I am going to try and explain a little bit about her.

At the age of 23 Helen was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis which is autoimmune disease that attacks white blood cells and causes severe bone deformity. Helen has had many operations to help improve her pain and mobility including - two wrist fusions, two knee replacements, two hip replacements and a spine/neck fusion.

Due to several complications of her conditions, alongside some very toxic medication she has needed to take, her general health is also very poor. She has brittle bones and over the years has broken her back (several times), her pelvis (several times), her femur, her tibia, her fibula, and her ribs - also resulting in operations to fix this.

Other complications of Helen’s conditions also mean she spends long periods in hospital. She has suffered from Sepsis on more occasions than I can even count and she has been in intensive care countless times fighting for her life. She has also experienced a perforated ulcer, kidney stones and severe heart issues - again all requiring operations and long hospital stays/recovery periods.

Despite all of this, my amazing and quite frankly outstanding mum worked for nearly twenty years as a Lecturer in A-Level Psychology. Even writing this, I can’t believe her stamina, resilience and determination to contribute to society and provide a stable income for her family. I can remember taking her to a job interview at Truro College in a wheelchair when she had a broken pelvis and she STOOD UP to deliver a short lecture for 20 students. She was utterly amazing.

She had to make the brave decision to stop the work she loved which had significant implications on her identity, routine and finances. However, she took this in her stride and completed a Masters in Mental Health through Open University - again demonstrating her sheer motivation to keep going.

Helen had Covid in 2021 and spent one month on a CPap machine fighting for her life in intensive care with no visitors. This contributed to the fast decline in her health and once home was unable to do many things on her own any more.

More recently, Helen was diagnosed with an extremely rare skin/blood infection that was isolated to just one leg. This was life threatening and was told she needed to take antibiotics for a year to get better. Nurses came 3 times a day for a whole year to give her these antibiotics intravenously. This medication changed her life. Despite all the other struggles with her mobility, she is now deaf and blind. This was absolutely devastating for her and her friends and family.

She is now completely bed bound and relies on 8 carers a day to feed her, dress her, wash her and attend to her personal care. This is a lonely, boring and isolating life which she does not deserve.

I cannot put into words how amazing my mum. Everyone who knows her or meets her briefly is astounded by her zest for life, her big smile and her determination. But now she spends every day in bed and in pain. She is only 58! I want so desperately to change this for her but I really need some help.

I would love to raise money to convert my double garage into a completely accessible space for her where she can come to stay with me a few days a week. This would be a huge break for her starting at the same four walls, a chance for her to spend more time with me and her 4 year old grandson Reevy who loves and misses her so much.

Making the space accessible would mean she can use her electric wheelchair freely and be hoisted around safely. She will gain so much independence, choice, reconnect with friends and family and improve her quality of life.

I love my mum so much and it’s painfully hard to watch her in this state. This support would be completely life changing for all of us and any contribution no matter how small would be so so so appreciated.

Thank you,

Long term fans of Helen - Vic and Reevy x