A SELFLESS Ledbury teenager who cannot use her arms and legs is spearheading a fund-raising drive to help someone else, a complete stranger, in a similar situation to her own.

John Masefield High School sixth former, Caitlin Ronan, aged 16, will have a high-tech "Eye Gaze" system delivered to her home within the next few weeks.

This system is made by the Malvern-based company Smartbox and it will allow Caitlin, who suffers from a progressive neurological disease, to access the computer and television and send private phone calls and text messages from her bed.

It works through a clever system based on eye movement recognition.

Music-loving Caitlin, who is studying for her Grade 8 music exam in singing, said of the system: "This will give me privacy, for some aspects of my life."

At present, her mum Louise has to help her to make phone calls or send emails and texts to friends, but thanks to the kindness of the local community, including a £1000 donation from Ledbury Community Choir, the teenager will soon be able to make the life-changing connections herself.

Mum Louise said: "We have also received a very generous donation of £700 from the congregation of Wellington Heath Church, who have been praying for Caitlin for years."

The fundraising drive has raised £11,000 for Caitlin's Eyegaze system so far, which is £3000 more than is needed.

But the plucky teenager wants the total to reach £16000 so that someone else, a complete stranger she is yet to know, will also get the life-changing equipment.

She said: "I will have Eye Gaze soon, and I also want to provide one for someone else, someone I can relate to."

Her mum, Louise said: "That's Caitlin for you. She has always been very generous; and she has such determination and grit."

Caitlin's back has effectively collapsed twice and immunoglobulin treatment, steroids and plasma exchange treatment has failed to stop the progression of her condition, which is called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and only effects around 500 people in the UK at any one time.

But Caitlin said: "I am actually pretty happy. I actually feel very lucky, because I have been able to walk and do things that other people have not been able to.

"My mum and dad are both accountants, but I would prefer be something else, such as an actress. Singing is my passion."

Caitlin gets regular music lessons at home, at Floyds Lane, Wellington Heath, and also A-level lessons from visiting John Masefield High School teachers, in accountancy, business studies and maths.

She copes with 15 hours of tuition a day, despite being on high levels of morphine.

Caitlin said: "For the past three years the majority of my time has been spent in bed due to pressure sores and anxieties over my breathing. Despite this I am still a normal teenager who loves to search the internet and chat with friends on Facebook.

"The Eye Gaze system would allow me to use a tablet independently and would enable me to turn the television on and off, change channels and record programmes by myself. It may also allow me to text friends and call them as if it was a mobile. At the moment I have to rely on my parents and carers to do all these things for me."

Two Eye Gaze Systems, one for Caitlin and the other for a stranger she is yet to meet, will cost £16,000.

Her dad, Sean said:"It is a fundraising project that is 100 per cent Caitlin's idea - she wanted to organise this completely by herself."

Anyone wishing to help Caitlin achieve her dream of helping someone else can make a donation at: https://www.gofundme.com/2y2zba7w