Meet the girl forced to care for her dad since she was 11 after his life was torn apart in a horrific car crash
When Courtney's father was seriously injured in an accident, he was left unable to feed, bathe, or dress himself
COURTNEY Speirs, 18, is a student and lives in Paisley, Scotland, with her parents Scott, 42, and Yvonne, 38, a sales assistant.
She says: "Putting a straw to my dad’s mouth to give him a sip of water, I wondered what my friends were up to.
Aged 11 like me, they’d probably gone to someone’s house to plan a sleepover for the weekend or a cinema trip.
But, as usual, I’d headed straight home from school to look after my dad Scott.
I was just nine when his car crashed into a ditch in a blizzard, leaving him with permanent nerve damage in his arms and shoulder, which meant he could hardly move his arms and was in constant pain.
He couldn’t even feed, wash or clothe himself without help.
Dad had to leave his job as a security guard and take sick pay, while mum took extended leave from her sales job to become his carer.
I was so young I didn’t fully understand it all, but I accepted it as our new life.
When Dad’s sick pay stopped after two years, Mum was forced to return to work.
Although I had three older half-sisters on my dad’s side, they lived with their mum in Leeds, so it was up to me to care for him when Mum was out.
It meant I missed a lot of school – sometimes two or three days a week.
The teachers kept saying I needed to attend more, but I just caught up when I was back and worked extra hard.
By then, Dad could wash and just about dress himself, but I had to shave him, cook his meals and remind him to take his medication as he had memory loss.
I also walked with him to his hospital and physio appointments.
Being so reliant on others left him feeling low and he took antidepressants.
I knew he felt guilty about me having to be so grown up when I should have been out with my mates, and both he and Mum said sorry to me every day, which was heartbreaking.
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I invited friends over instead of going to their houses.
But when I turned 15, things began to change as they started to go out more and I was often unable to join them.
At 15, I got drunk with my cousin at home and ended up screaming at my parents that I didn’t want that life any more.
The next morning, I felt terrible.
Thankfully, they understood I needed to let off steam.
Now my friends and I are 18, we don’t talk as much as I’d like, because they have their own lives.
I’ve been with my boyfriend Nathan, 18, for two years and although he’s in the army and based in Stafford, we speak most days.
We hope to live together in the future, but it’s hard to imagine how Mum will manage if I move out.
Despite missing so much school, I passed my National exams at 16.
Mum juggled her shifts so I could go to a local college three days a week to study social care, and I’m qualified as a professional carer.
I’d love to get a job one day, but for now Dad’s my priority.
At college I discovered the charity Fixers, who told me about support groups for young carers.
It was such a relief to know there were other people like me.
Dad’s condition has worsened over the years and while he can still walk and talk, he’s in constant pain.
Nerve damage in his hands means he now can’t grip anything properly.
I know lots of people wouldn’t want the responsibility of looking after their father from such a young age, but we love a good chat and watching football together.
Life isn’t always easy, but I actually consider myself lucky to have been given the opportunity to spend so much time with my dad."
The charity has helped more than 18,000 people across the country.