My daughter Eilidh’s independence is
central to this post today which is supporting Nick Thomson's 13 to 3 marathon run on Sunday 24th April, the Virgin London Marathon. Nick aims to raise £2000 towards a new 3d powered wheelchair. Our family is only as independent as Eilidh
is, only has happy as she is. Her
wheelchair allows independence and quality of life for us all.
The Snapdragon is way ahead of what
the NHS can provide and other privately funded similar powered wheelchairs,
allowing 3d movement but also, more importantly, enabling Eilidh to interact
eye to eye with her peers with the ability of the chair to move between a floor
position and standing height. The chair empowers
Eilidh to be independent and confident so that she can be part of more beyond
her immediate family. It is responsive and manoeuvrable, allowing her to
explore the world around her.
But this chair comes at a price. £24,113.
We have raised this once before – by asking friends and strangers to
contribute to a Whizzy Wheels Fund (here on this blog) - for the Snapdragon she got when she was 2
years old, but this chair now needs replacing and we are finding it necessary
to approach charities to help raise this total. It is not easy to do this, to ask for help, to ask for money, to admit that we cannot raise this huge total for our daughter, but it is a mammoth task.
Eilidh's independence, however is priceless. How can we put a price on her joy, her quality of life? It's simple, we can't and as a result we need to do what is the best for her and the SnapDragon is the best. Through enabling and empowering Eilidh we too are learning; she
teaches us how it is to live with disability.
She brings joy and I am hopeful of a bright future, but we need to ask
others to help maintain her independence, raising funds towards a new
powerchair because we cannot do it alone in the time frame required.
I ask that you consider supporting my
daughter Eilidh maintain her independence by donating to Nick's Just Giving page which is supporting the Turbo Trust. The Turbo Trust believes in good mobility for all, regardless of age or ability, and provides grants for disabled people to buy the most versatile powerchairs available.approving a grant towards the
total cost of her powered wheelchair. Alternatively you can donate at GoFundMe https://www.gofundme.com/whizzywheelsagain
