A Life Dedicated to Helping Others:

For years, my life was focused on giving people back their independence, joy, and dignity. As a Specialist Occupational Therapist working in the NHS, my job was to help people find hope and practical solutions during their most difficult moments in life. Today, after a rapid and severe decline in my own physical health, I have to humbly ask for that same help in return.

Before late 2023, I was a vibrant, active 31-year-old. Who loved the simple things: exploring nature, swimming in the cold sea, cooking, going to the cinema, and enjoying exploring the city with my friends.

Slowly, due to a severe multi-system breakdown, my world has shrunk significantly. I am living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), and investigation for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Today, I am about 80% housebound and spend most of my time confined to my bed or sofa.

I have lost my identity and sense of connection.

Living with these chronic conditions has taken a massive toll, not just physically, but on my sense of self. Because of how these illnesses affect my body, I struggle immensely when I am upright. I can only manage about 30 minutes of being upright before my body triggers severe, overwhelming autonomic reactions that result in being bed bound in agonising pain 24-48 hours later. Being upright triggers life-threatening episodes of positional anaphylaxis due to my MCAS. My illness varies day by day meaning that I always have to be careful and this limit my life for my physiological safety.

This has made accessing simple activities such as showering or making a meal impossible to do and requires help from a PA, just so that I can have enough energy reserves to try and live. Accessing basic needs, like food and groceries is a living hell. I am forced to rely entirely on supermarket deliveries, which is incredibly difficult and stressful; essential items are frequently out of stock, meaning I desperately need to be able to access the shops myself just to secure basic food I can safely tolerate, but come with a lot of restrictions.

This ongoing physical limitation has stolen my independence, isolated me from friends, and stripped away the everyday freedoms most people take for granted—like just going out for a walk, grabbing a coffee, or going to the cinema.

The Stakes: Protecting My Lifeline;

Throughout this entire, overwhelming journey, the absolute anchor keeping me going is my assistance dog in training, Brendan. Not only is he training to be my medical alert dog for warning of anaphylaxis, he is my protector, my companion, and quite literally the reason I keep fighting.

But because I am now facing medical dismissal from the career I loved, I will soon not be able to afford private dog walking anymore. And because I cannot walk without systemic collapse, I am facing the heartbreaking, desperate reality that I may have to rehome him simply because I cannot physically care for him or give him the exercise he needs.

I cannot lose him. Keeping him by my side is vital to my survival and well-being.

Why I Am Asking For Help

I have worked with NHS wheelchair services to find a solution. However, the electric mobility options available through standard funding are designed for indoor use only.

For someone whose entire goal is to get back outside, navigate nature trails, and safely walk an assistance dog, an indoor chair simply cannot bridge the gap.

To truly get my life back, I need a specialized, multi-terrain electric wheelchair.

These custom chairs are incredibly expensive, but it is a vital piece of equipment that will completely change my life. This chair isn't just about moving; it's about:

-Allowing me to safely take my assistance dog outside on grass and paths myself, keeping us together.

-Keeping me securely seated so I can stay out in the world without the dangerous anaphylactic and autonomic crashes that happen when I am upright.

-Helping me reclaim a piece of my identity—allowing me to go back to the cinema, meet a friend for coffee, and access the fresh air that I miss so terribly.

How You Can Help

I am raising £10 000 to fund a whill electric wheelchair with custom seating to support my body and be able to recline in case of anaphylaxis, this will also come in handy should I ever find myself in A&E and there aren't any seats or bed to support my extra needs (as has happened in the the recent past) an extra battery and adaptation to my car to hoist this chair up-

WHILL C2 chair: £4 995.00 (I have added a screenshot of the chair and price. because I'm disabled I won't pay tax on it, which is why I'm showing the tax free amount- this chair also is chosen because it has the extra support that is needed with my muscle weakness and tremors and support being upright with minimal effort)

WC training for Brendan and I £900 (I included a previous invoice with the price on for these - 8 sessions in block of 4 at a discounted price to paying them as I go)

spare battery £495 (screenshot included from the above website)

Boot hoist £1845 (smart lifter)

Your support, whether through a donation of any size or simply sharing this page, means more to me than words can say.

Thank you for your time, your empathy, and for helping me find my way back to the world.

With deep gratitude,

Tanya

Extra information:

-I have included letter from my neurologist at the NHS to show my ME diagnosis

-my MCAS and EDS is privately done, I've attached details of my MCAS review and taken out information that I feel is too personal to share- they look weird because the online portal is quite difficult to use but their details are on there for verification

-my EDS is still under investigation, however due to there being no cure it's not seen as important right now due to the financial cost of private care for this - around £300 per appointment and the next appointment needs to do a scan which is just out of budget and not important right now)

-I have searched far and wide for wheelchair grants and charities, however they are severely underfunded and struggling to meet the needs of everyone that are already on extremely long wait lists, I am trying to find a different solution

-the funds raised is slightly more than the cost of the products to cover the fees deducted by gofund me (transaction fees) and to cover any unforseen delivery and insurance costs. these prices seem to fluctuate everytime I look at them and hoping to counter any unforseen circumstances.