Two sisters from Ashton-under-Lyne have been given a Pride of Manchester award for the lengths they went to in order to protect their disabled sibling from Covid-19.
Eden Brookshaw, 13, and Kaitlin, 10, stayed indoors at home for five months straight to shield oldest sister Isabel, who needs round-the-clock care.
As part of their award, Eden and Kaitlin got the chance to meet Manchester City and England captain Steph Houghton — as well as Drag Race star Baga Chipz.
“The girls are fiercely protective of their sister and love her to bits. There isn’t anything they wouldn’t do for her,” mum Andrea, 38, said.
“There are lots of people in our situation, and if you have siblings that are vulnerable then you just have to do your best for them.
“That’s the way they were brought up.”
Isabel, 14, is unable to speak, partially-sighted, and has epilepsy following a mystery illness — meaning she was placed on the extremely clinically vulnerable list for months on end.
Andrea added: “From the beginning we talked about what would happen if Isabel caught the coronavirus.
“They saw how serious it could be and that if she caught it, she could die and they were determined to do everything to keep her safe.
“They are really close. The girls had to help me get Isabel up in the morning, help me change her, help me get her in her chair.
"When Isabel has a shower we all have our own jobs, Eden holds the shower head, Kaitlin washes her and I do her hair. If she has a seizure when I am not in the room, they don't even shout for me anymore — they just deal with their sister having a seizure.”
Actor and Pride of Manchester judge Chris Bisson commented: “The last year has been tough for everyone, and young people in particular have had to make huge sacrifices during the pandemic, especially these two remarkable sisters.”
The girls found the toughest part of their isolation was an inability to see friends.
“I really, really missed my friends,” Kaitlin said.
“I couldn’t go into school, and couldn’t go out and play. It was hard. At the beginning we didn’t even have Zoom calls with school, we just had worksheets to do.
“But it was important what we did for Isabel because if we didn’t, she may have caught Covid. We wanted to keep her as safe as we could and also help our mum.”
Despite Kaitlin’s mental health suffering as a result of the loss of contact, Andrea says the return to the classroom has ‘done wonders for her and helped her recover’.
The MEN Pride of Manchester Awards, in partnership with TSB, will premiere on YouTube.com/prideofbritainawards on May 27 at 7pm.
