Donate to help adapt a home for Joe

Hi, my name is Donna and I am creating this fundraiser on behalf of my wonderful nephew, Joe Rae. Joe is 18 years old and is just starting out in his adult life. He was attending college and had a part time job and was just finding his way in the world. In the early hours of Saturday morning on 7th May 2022, Joe fell off the white bridge in Glenrothes which would forever change his life and the lives of his family.

 

Joe survived the fall but his body was left very broken and he’s been left paralysed from the waist down. He suffered a broken spine, which has ultimately damaged his spinal chord. He underwent spinal fusion surgery to his spine, which went well and will spend the next couple of months (having already been there for several weeks) in Glasgow Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit where he’s undergoing recovery and rehabilitation. He’ll get all the help he needs here to support his mental health to be able to cope with and deal with the life changing injuries he has sustained as well as going through the physical rehabilitation for his injuries.

 

Due to the injuries that Joe has sustained, his parents, my sister Violet Rae and brother in law Andy Rae, will need to think about certain adaptations to their house to make things more accessible to Joe. In the first instance, they will be looking at installing a wet room and ramps for wheelchair access into the house. There’ll be other things along the way but these are the immediate concerns.

 

Obviously, whilst Joe is in hospital, they’ll be spending a lot of time travelling to and from Glasgow daily which has and will incur expensive fuel outgoings (and we all know how expensive that is at the moment). I feel the last thing they should be worrying about at a time like this is their financial situation and want to do this fundraiser to try and raise as much as we possibly can to help ease their financial burden. They will get help financially with some adaptations but only with the things that are deemed necessary so for example, if they wanted to make the back garden accessible to Joe they will have to fund that themselves. I just want to try and make things a little easier for them and give Joe the best start to his new life.

 

Once Joe has everything in place, any additional money raised will be donated to Glasgow Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit (as per Joe’s request).

 

Thank you for reading and please, for anyone going through mental health issues, you are not alone. It may not feel like that at times but you do have family and friends who love and cherish you and no matter how bad things get, they are there for you. Please reach out and talk to someone. Anyone. If you don’t feel you can speak to anyone close to you or indeed feel you don’t have anyone who could offer that support, please call Samaritans free on 116 123.