Chesterfield: Terminally-ill teenager left homeless by flooding

A teenager with terminal cancer is living in a hotel room with her parents after their home was flooded during Storm Babet.

Emily Eden was undergoing chemotherapy in hospital as water deluged her family's house in Clay Cross near Chesterfield, Derbyshire, on Friday.

The 18-year-old was hoping to return home after her treatment but the house was left uninhabitable.

Her family said they were now extremely worried about her wellbeing.

Emily said: "It's a shock, I would prefer it if we were at home.

"With my cancer and everything, I know it's terminal and I know there's no cure or anything like that."

Her father Richard said the flooding had "destroyed" their Windermere Road home, with water rising above the fireplace and kitchen units, and thrown their plans for her care into disarray.

She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer four weeks ago and Mr Eden said she had wanted to return to her "comfort zone" at home where a hospital bed had been set up to make the rest of her life as comfortable as possible.

"She's devastated she's not in a place she feels safe," he said.

"She was to return home to her comfort zone and she can now not come home.

"She's got to be kept away from people because of the chemotherapy treatment and her immune system will be very vulnerable over the next few days.

"Emily suffers with ADHD and anxiety and she said she didn't want to go into any hospice and that she wanted to be at home in her comfort zone.

"That's not possible now. Her immune system is going to be at rock-bottom.

"If she catches an infection, it's life-threatening. I need a contained house where I can keep her safe."

Mr Eden added the Ashgate Hospice, near Chesterfield, said it would deliver a hospital bed to the hotel room where they were staying.

However he said his insurance company told him they would only fund the family's current hotel stay until Sunday, and that it could not facilitate accommodation with a hospital bed in the long-term.

Mr Eden said it could be six months before his family could return and he did not know what they would do.

He said he had contacted North East Derbyshire District Council after the flooding on Friday, but was told there was no available emergency accommodation.

The council has been contacted for comment.

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