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A mum-of-three who helps the homeless while she battles cancer is desperate to find a bungalow as she is struggling with the stairs in her three- storey house.
Edel Campbell (38), from Balbriggan, wants to rent a new place for her, her husband Bryan and their three children .
Edel and Bryan (43) set up North County Outreach, which provides support to the homeless and those at risk of losing their home, nearly two years ago as they know what it is like not to have a roof over your head.
Chemotherapy
“Bryan and I both experienced homelessness as children and not too long along we lost our home in Co Kildare to the banks. We’ve been renting in Balbriggan since then,” Edel said.
She was diagnosed last year with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, which had also spread to her sternum and liver.
After a gruelling five-month chemotherapy regime, she is in remission.
“I’ve been told there is no cure and they can only keep me on medication to try to prevent the worst,” Edel said.
“The truth is that because my cancer was so aggressive the chances of it recurring are huge.
“I want to create as many fantastic memories for us and our children, but what we really need is a bungalow.
“A bungalow would give me such quality of life with my children and allow me to be involved so much more, even in everyday tasks with them.
“We’re renting a three-storey house and I struggle badly with the stairs. We’ve asked the council for a house and even provided them with several letters explaining my situation, but we’ve no idea when, if ever, we’ll get one.
“I think our only hope is to appeal for a landlord who reads this story and who has a large bungalow to rent to get in touch.
“We want a long-term lease, somewhere we can call home, but because we’re on social welfare some estate agents won’t even acknowledge us.”
Edel added that she has a dream of taking the children on a “lifetime adventure to Disney World, and we have set up a Gofundme campaign to try to raise enough money for it”.
Donations can be made at gofundme.com/dels-dream.
A spokesperson for Fingal County Council said: “The council does not comment on individual cases.
Qualified
“We can state that the position on the list for an applicant is determined by their ‘Date in Need’ which is defined as the date in which the council determines that the household is qualified for Social Housing Support.
“This is set out in the council’s adopted Allocations Scheme, which also allows for the consideration of medical documentation.”
[Source:-heareld]
