For those who know Corey, they will know that he is so much more than his disabilities. He is loving, caring, funny, determined and someone who wants nothing more than to enjoy life and experience the same sense of freedom that so many of us take for granted.

Corey lives with Optic Atrophy Plus Syndrome Mitochondrial Disease OPA1 which is an incredibly rare, life-limiting condition. His condition is so unusual that he is the only person in the world with this particular type of mitochondrial disease.

Alongside his condition, Corey is also blind and a wheelchair user. The combination of these challenges means that everyday life can be incredibly difficult. Things that many people can do without even thinking about them can require significant assistance, support and careful planning for Corey.

He relies on other people for many aspects of everyday life, and while he has always tried to maintain as much independence as possible, there are simply some things that he cannot do without help.

For Corey, his wheelchair isn't simply a piece of equipment. It is his mobility, his freedom and a huge part of his independence and quite literally 'his legs.'

Unfortunately, the wheelchair he currently has cannot provide everything Corey now needs. I am therefore trying to raise as much as I possibly can towards a brand-new specialist wheelchair.

The right wheelchair could make a huge difference to Corey's life.

It could allow him to move around more independently with less fatigue, participate in everyday activities with less assistance and reduce the amount he has to rely on other people. It could give him more freedom to spend time with the people he loves, experience new places and simply have more control over where he goes and what he does.

For someone who is blind, a wheelchair user and living with such an incredibly rare and life-limiting condition, independence can look very different from what it does for most people.

For Corey, independence doesn't mean never needing anyone's help.

It means being able to do more for himself when he can for as long as he can.

It means being able to make choices about his own day.

It means having the freedom to get around with less assistance.

And it means having the opportunity to live life as fully and independently as possible for as long as possible.

I'm not asking for something extravagant. I'm asking for the opportunity to give Corey something that most people don't realise how precious it is until they lose it — freedom.

The full wheelchair will cost over £5,000 which Corey has been given £1,570 towards by his local wheelchair service. However now he has been told by them that he has 3 months to find the remaining amount otherwise they will remove the funding they are willing to put towards it. My goal is to help him raise as much as I possibly can to cover the remaining amount. I am absolutely aware that times are hard for us all but please know that every penny really will make a genuine difference.

If you are able to donate, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you can't donate, sharing Corey's story is just as valuable and may help me reach someone who can.

Corey has spent so much of his life having to adapt to a world that isn't always designed for him so along with as much help as you are willing and able to give I could eventually help give him a little more freedom, a little more independence and the chance to live his life more on his own terms.

Thank you for taking the time to read Corey's story, and thank you for helping me get one step closer to giving Corey the independence he deserves, I wish I could do this on my own for Corey but I simply can't. From me personally, asking for help is something I really don't like ever doing but this is about Corey and for him I am willing to put that aside and do whatever I can.

I can't thank you enough for taking the time to read about what I am trying to do and for hopefully helping me get Corey the wheelchair he really needs.

Thank you.