Easter Ross mum of teen with complex needs says Haven Centre will make huge difference to Highland families
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It took Elizabeth Tattersall five years to get a diagnosis for her son after first raising concerns about his development when he was just two months old.
Ellis, now aged 17, was eventually diagnosed as having a genetic disorder, Angelman syndrome, which has caused delayed development, epilepsy, mobility issues and major learning difficulties.
He is among those who are set to benefit from the Haven Centre for children and young people with complex needs in the Highlands due to open in Inverness this summer.
“It was a relief in one way that there was a name for what he had,” said Mrs Tattersall, of Alness.
“It was also heartbreaking in that my child was never going to catch up, that my beautiful little boy was never going to have a normal life.
“We had to accept it was going to be different to what we envisaged.
“He was going to have his own life – and we had to make it work.”
Mrs Tattershall, who lives with husband Shaun and daughter Alysha (19), and also has a stepson, is Ellis’s carer but until last year also worked full-time at St Duthus School in Tain, where he is a pupil.
“He is very dependent on me,” she said.
“He needs 24/7 care. I need to watch him all the time.
“He is hard work. He is demanding. He is very vocal although you cannot have a conversation with him.
“He is happy and smiley. He is such a lovely young man.”
Despite the challenges, she finds it rewarding to look after Ellis.
“We don’t look at life and think it is hard,” she said. “We get up. We have a routine.
“I didn’t have a good childhood and I have made up for that by giving as much love as I can.”
She also now gets some after-school support two days a week plus a few hours on Saturday.
Just over a year ago, she and Ellis were guests at the symbolic spade in the ground event to signal the start of work on the Haven Centre in Smithton.
She is excited about seeing the finished building which she says will make a huge difference.
“It will be somewhere to go for a coffee and where Ellis can play and we don’t have to worry that he is making too much noise,” she said.
She also hopes in time Ellis will be able to use one of the centre’s respite flats.
“The Haven Centre is going to be so good for so many families in the Highlands,” she said.
