Help Lee (Emma) to buy a powered wheelchair
Donation protected
Summary of the following information: I am experiencing heart pain when walking and am wanting to reduce the amount of walking to just stumbling around home. I’m seeking financial donations to purchase a motorized wheelchair so I can be independent and outside more often.
Hello! Welcome to story time with Emma, I am Emma and I wish to tell you a true story. I’ve been having some strange, vague and irregular symptoms for a few years now; sometimes feeling tired after carry light-medium objects, sometimes feeling exhausted after mid-range exercise, getting confused easily and feeling woozy after standing up from looking in the fridge vegie drawer. I was telling my now previous doctor about these changes but she was not overly concerned which made me think that it wasn’t such a big deal. I decided to stop studying and working as these things were too much for me to manage. I also made a decision that it was too risky for me to be driving or cycling while I felt dizzy. Things rapidly progressed in September this year when my morning walks started feeling more and more painful in my heart muscle. I started going for shorter walks, I felt so good mentally after starting my day outside and I really wanted my body to keep up! I tried shuffling slowly up and down our street but that was so painful in my chest that I’d need to rest for an hour afterwards.
I knew that lying down and sitting was when my body felt the most comfortable because my heart muscle wasn’t straining. I wanted to spend more of my time with less heart pain! I was okay with stumbling short distances at home, the indoor space is small enough that I am always close to a chair but walking outside was very different. I bought a secondhand manual wheelchair from Gumtree for $100, I was so pleased to be able to spend time with my friends outside and not feel pain! Having the manual wheelchair has given me the ability to spend more time with friends outside, but I am dependent on others to take me around places. I am relishing spending time with people I love and am so pleased that I have gentle folks in my life who also want to go for a roll & stroll to watch birds or look at trees. I miss being able to spend time by myself outside, I miss deciding at short notice to buy a little snack and I miss going to cafes or the movies by myself. I am missing my ability to be independent of others. This feeling has been stronger over the last 2 weeks because the weather is warming up and all of me aches to spend time outside.
I now have a very attentive, validating and efficient doctor who has referred me to a cardiac clinic for more testing but I have not heard when my appointment will be. I estimate that it will take at least a month (but likely longer) between the clinic contacting me and the appointment date. We also have the Christmas and New Year period where things are on pause while folks take a break. If the tests show a clear result of having Shitty Heart Condition (not the real name), then I might need to see a specialist (at least a month of waiting) to get a diagnosis before I can apply for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Gathering documents for an NDIS application can take a few weeks and then it is a month to wait while they asses the application. If I can access NDIS funding; I’d be able to have financial support to have rehabilitation, physiotherapy appointments and also funding to purchase mobility aids.
The heart pain I am experiencing is occurring right now, these symptoms do not go on break for the holidays. I want to be able to spend time outside, enjoying summer and being independent rather than waiting inside for the next 3 months until my funding is hopefully approved and I can buy a wheelchair.
How will I use this money?
I am seeking a fairly basic wheelchair; I am just needing it to be a chair and for it to be motorised. I don’t need any head support or padding for my legs. The chair needs to fold down small so I can fit it into cars and store it easily at home. The lighter chairs (around 20kg) are also easier to get in and out of cars than the heavier chairs (some lightweight powered ones can be 30kg).
It would be super-duper ideal to get this new chair; it is on sale for $2,650- $2,935, the company is called Pride (!!), it has front suspension, can turn around in a small space, folds down small for car boots and weighs 19.8kg. I have set the donation target at $3,000 to allow money for the GoFundMe fees.
Wheelchairs can cost so much money and I was surprised to see that this was the lower end of the price scale.
There are some functional second-hand motorised wheelchairs online that start around $2,000. The ads that I have seen for wheelchairs below this price seem to be ones that need parts replaced before the wheelchair is usable. Because they are second hand, the battery may be older and may be worn out. I am not very enthusiastic about buying a second hand motorised one; I don’t know enough about wheelchairs to know which brands are reliable or what to look for. I don’t know how to tell if it is a good deal.
I understand that with the COVID pandemic it has meant that many of us haven’t been able to spend time together in person; maybe we have been on a planned video call together which means you have seen me sitting but not the tiredness I feel before the video call. These symptoms have increased so much in a short amount of time too! I am sorry if you are reading this and feel like you are out of the information loop, I have been forgetting to let people know what is going on.
I also want to let you know that mentally I have been doing quite well; I have an incredible sense of acceptance and gratefulness that is glowing though my body, most of the time I feel emotionally regulated and calm. It is a strange occurrence but I am glad that while my physical health has changed so much, I have tapped into a deep well of peace and inner stability.
If you wish to contribute but do not have disposable income, please do send this on to your loaded mates so they can send me some dollarydoos.
<3
Organizer
Lee Wattle
Organizer
Melbourne, VIC