Give Jack more freedom with an all-terrain motorised chair

Jack is 13 years old and has cerebral palsy. He’s also autistic, ADHD, hypermobile, and dyspraxic, along with other neurodivergences. He has always struggled with walking - the cerebral palsy means his calf muscles are very tight, and he has very flat feet and walks with an ‘out-toed’ gait. This causes him severe pain within a few metres of walking. He tires very easily due to having to work so hard to walk, and alongside this his hypermobility means his joints are too flexible, also causing pain and fatigue. He needs frequent rests, but needs to sit down - even standing causes him pain. Even after a rest, his pain comes back immediately, meaning that breaking up activity into short bursts doesn’t really help him. His dyspraxia means that he struggles with balance and motor skills, and his visual processing differences mean that he often trips over kerbs or uneven surfaces.

He has recently been diagnosed with femoral retroversion, meaning his femurs are rotated outwards. This explains why he struggles so much with his mobility and why it has deteriorated so much with puberty and a growth spurt. His orthopaedic consultant has said that they won’t consider surgery, which means that Jack’s pain, balance, and vastly reduced mobility will be lifelong. We are querying this decision and likely requesting a second opinion. In the meantime, Jack is having botox in his leg muscles and having his lower legs cast, to try and loosen them up a bit and reduce his pain.

Last year, Jack’s physiotherapist arranged for him to have a wheelchair. This has been great and has allowed him to take part in outings and activities that he previously wouldn’t have managed. However, it is only designed for smooth surfaces (like pavements), is tricky for Jack to steer / manoeuvre alone, and also causes some pain and tiredness if he propels it himself with his arms. At the moment, he needs to get out of the chair if we’re going up or downhill, or are on a surface that the wheelchair can’t manage - and these are even more tricky for him to manage on foot than flat, smooth surfaces. He is unable to get himself up or down kerbs as he needs to tilt the chair, and his balance and coordination struggles make that very difficult.

We’d like to crowdfund a motorised all-terrain chair for Jack, so that he can have much more freedom and independence. With an all-terrain chair, he’ll be able to go on most surfaces and will be able to go up and down hills / slopes. It will open up a much wider range of places that he can go and activities / outings that he can take part in. He’ll also be able to get himself up and down kerbs if he needs to. Having a motorised chair with a long range also means that he’ll be able to use it for long periods of time without it causing pain or fatigue. Above all, Jack will be able to do all of this himself without needing to rely on someone else to push him. Sometimes he feels quite down about his disabilities and what he struggles with compared to his peers, and having the level of freedom and independence this chair would bring would help to build his self-esteem and confidence.