Help Irian to get new wheels
Donation protected
Hello you lovely people out there - four years ago I had to start using a manual wheelchair due to neurological issues. Because I also have ME, some missing muscle, and EDS, after a year of struggling to push myself along unaided I had to get some wheels with power-assist (I still push with the wheel rims but motors help me along), which have served me really well for almost three years now.
Unfortunately, due to increasing symptoms (especially from the EDS), I can no longer self-propel, even with the power-assist wheels, without a load of pain and exhaustion - which means I'm practically housebound again.
My most affordable and practical option is to replace those wheels with similar wheels from the same manufacturer, but which are worked with a joystick instead of by pushing. This means I can keep using my current wheelchair, which was custom made for my unusually tall body and still has plenty of life left in it.
The cost of these new wheels is just under £5000 - once I have them I'll be able to raise some money by selling the old wheels, and I do have some savings, but I'm still going to need to raise around £2500 to cover the cost of buying the new wheels in the first place. I will also be applying for grant money, but there's very little of that around these days, and they quite reasonably prioritise young people for what grants are available.
If you feel able to contribute towards this, or could share this fundraiser with any people you think might want to help, I'd be really grateful ☀️
update: I now also have to buy a new wheelchair to put these wheels on, as it turns out by awful luck that my TiLite Aero Z wheelchair is literally the only TiLite model these wheels don't fit, sigh - so overall I'm going to need to spend almost £8,000 and yet it's still the best option
I've been very lucky and already have a £500 grant promised toward the wheels, and people have been very generous already ☀️
Unfortunately, due to increasing symptoms (especially from the EDS), I can no longer self-propel, even with the power-assist wheels, without a load of pain and exhaustion - which means I'm practically housebound again.
My most affordable and practical option is to replace those wheels with similar wheels from the same manufacturer, but which are worked with a joystick instead of by pushing. This means I can keep using my current wheelchair, which was custom made for my unusually tall body and still has plenty of life left in it.
The cost of these new wheels is just under £5000 - once I have them I'll be able to raise some money by selling the old wheels, and I do have some savings, but I'm still going to need to raise around £2500 to cover the cost of buying the new wheels in the first place. I will also be applying for grant money, but there's very little of that around these days, and they quite reasonably prioritise young people for what grants are available.
If you feel able to contribute towards this, or could share this fundraiser with any people you think might want to help, I'd be really grateful ☀️
update: I now also have to buy a new wheelchair to put these wheels on, as it turns out by awful luck that my TiLite Aero Z wheelchair is literally the only TiLite model these wheels don't fit, sigh - so overall I'm going to need to spend almost £8,000 and yet it's still the best option
I've been very lucky and already have a £500 grant promised toward the wheels, and people have been very generous already ☀️
Organizer
Irian Greenleaf
Organizer
England