A New Wheelchair To Get My Independence Back

Help me regain my independence and freedom with a suitable wheelchair.

My name is Charlotte, I'm 40 years old and have chronic health problems, chronic pain and fibromyalgia. I currently have a wheelchair that is not fit for my needs. It's big, bulky and heavy. It's even a struggle to get up the ramp to my house. I live in a town that's in a valley and I don't drive. With my fibromyalgia, I tire very easily and as a result of the heavy chair, I don't go out much. Once a fortnight for food shop and almost never just to have a cuppa with a friend.

I had a wheelchair assessment and test drive and have found a really good manual chair. The difference is like night and day. I even managed to get up the hill to the end of my road without even breaking a sweat (normally I have to stop 4 times due to pain in my wrists and getting tired and breathless) it's also small enough to not scrape my hall wall when I come in the door. This new chair will give me so much more freedom and independence and a break from the being shut in all the time. It's like lockdown but permanent.

I can get a very basic chair in NHS, and I did have one, but it was heavier and more cumbersome than the one I have now. The company do accept Personal Wheelchair Budget grant from the local NHS wheelchair supplier but it will usually be about £500-£600 and they can take between 12-18 months. This chair is just a shop model and doesn't need much in the way of changes for me and is already mostly suited to my needs. The problem is that it's £1765 and I can't work due to my long term health issues.