Hayley’s freewheel fundraiser

Hi my name is Hayley and in 2022 my life was turned upside down when I began having symptoms of incredible pain and not being able to move my toes.

After quite a while and lots of tests scans and appointments I was diagnosed with CRPS. Complex regional pain syndrome.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a neuropathic pain disorder characterized by ongoing pain disproportionate to the degree of tissue injury and persists beyond the usual expected time for tissue healing. [1] Pain is accompanied by sensory, motor, and autonomic abnormalities. Such abnormalities include allodynia, hyperalgesia, sudomotor and vasomotor abnormalities, and trophic changes. Pain does not follow a particular dermatome or myotome but is rather regional. CRPS not only impacts function, sleep, and activities of daily living but also takes a significant mental and psychosocial toll on the patient. Its diverse spectrum of clinical presentation and lack of any clearly defined pathophysiology poses a challenge for optimal management of this disorder.

and the kicker to it all is it’s incurable. I have to learn to live the best I can with it.

It has progressed very fast and in nearly 2 years it has gone from affecting my toes to it now being all the way to mid calf. And I’m on the waiting list to get my leg amputated.

Before all of this I was a very active person who exercised regularly and even danced competitively. I loved going for walks out in the country or a good trip to the zoo. However now it’s a lot harder to sort days out or it isn't accessible for me. Plus money is very tight now I’m unable to work and my husband has had to give up work to care for me.

For this reason I’m asking for donations to a wheelchair attachment to make my manual chair an electric one. This will mean I can go back to doing some of the things I liked before I became a wheelchair user.

I appreciate you taking the time to read my story and hope that you can help. Even a share is appreciated as it may be seen by others then.