A woman diagnosed with motor neurone disease has found a way to stay in her dream home after installing a Star Trek-inspired homelift to help her move between floors.
Liz Wilcox moved to a beautiful five-bedroom property in Hawkwell, Newcastle, four years ago with her husband Graham.
But the former teacher was left shell-shocked after being diagnosed with the neurological condition in November 2017.
The disease occurs when specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord called motor neurones stop working properly, affecting mobility.
Mrs Wilcox’s condition has progressively worsened, and she now finds it extremely difficult to use the stairs without help from her husband.
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They had faced the daunting prospect of putting their stunning property up for sale and moving to a bungalow or ground floor apartment.
However, the 69 year old has now become one of the first people in the country to have a £15,000 Stiltz Homelift installed.
The lift is located discreetly inside a cupboard in the hallway which was originally used to store coats, and travels through the floor on self-supporting rails up to an almost identical space in a cupboard on the landing above.
It also plugs straight in to a standard domestic socket making it flexible in terms of where it can go in the home.
Mrs Wilcox says the lift has changed her life and means the couple no longer have to contemplate leaving their beloved house.
She added: "It was just becoming more and more difficult for me to use the stairs and it was getting to the stage where I would struggle down in the morning and not go upstairs again until Graham got home from work in the evening.
"Once he was at home, if I needed something from upstairs, he would get it for me.
"Graham co-owns his own business but, since my condition has got worse and I have been suffering falls, he only goes in once or twice a week for a board meeting in order to be able to keep a close eye on me.
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"We didn’t want to move. We love this house and are really settled here. I’m a keen gardener and although I can’t do what I used to do, I couldn't imagine having to leave here so Graham started looking at mobility aids.
"We have a turning staircase so a stairlift wouldn’t work in our house. Now we have the Stiltz, I’ve got my independence back and it has transformed my life.
"It’s much easier and, more importantly, safer for me than going up the stairs. I can fit my walking frame in it and it looks far more attractive than a stairlift.
"Stairlifts are too invasive. I didn’t want something like that in plain view that highlights my disability whereas with the Stitlz Homelift nobody would even know it was there because it is tucked in a cupboard. I might be 69 but I’m young at heart."
Mrs Wilcox revealed the hardest part about being diagnosed with motor neurone disease was telling her family.
"It started when my toes started twitching in January 2016," she said. "I went to the doctor but he discounted it, so I didn’t think much more of it.
"But then the stiffness started in my legs and spread to my calves which just felt weaker and weaker to the point where it started becoming more difficult to walk and I also started having regular falls.
"Eventually I went to see a neurologist and I was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Nobody really knows what causes it, it’s been a whole new education for me as not that many people suffer from it.
"The worst part was telling my family and friends I had the disease. It was heartbreaking and very upsetting for everyone. The first fortnight was the hardest but after that, once it had begun to sink in and I had told everyone, things got better."
Mrs Wilcox says she has a strong positive mental attitude which is helping her overcome the challenges of the condition.
She added: "You’ve just got to get on with it. I’ve not changed. I’m still the same person. I just can’t walk as well and can’t do the things I used to do before as much. I need to rest more often.
"My motto is you’ve got to 'keep on keeping on'. I’m a positive person by nature."
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