Hi, I'm Lucy.

In 2022, I was a student paramedic, just months away from becoming a fully registered paramedic after spending three years studying and working throughout the COVID pandemic on the front line. Then I caught COVID, and my life changed completely.

I developed ME/CFS (Chronic Fatigue), small nerve fibre dysfunction and POTS (dysautonomia), leaving me with severe fatigue, dizziness, fainting episodes, mobility difficulties and an autonomic nervous system that likes to cause havoc with all my bodily systems. Today, I rely on a wheelchair to access the world around me.

I'm a partner and mum to an amazing autistic child with additional needs, and one of the hardest parts of my illness is watching from the sidelines while my family make memories without me and not being able to be in the thick of it when my son needs me.

My current wheelchair has served me well and helped me regain some independence, its great for inner city use but it is no longer suitable for my needs. It struggles on uneven ground, regularly throw me forward on small obstacles like curbs that have a 1cm lip, and has a very slow acceleration curve so crossing roads can be dangerous. It also lacks the stability, power and reclining function I need to safely manage my dysautonomia.

After extensive research and some demonstrations, I have found a wheelchair that could genuinely transform my quality of life: the XSTO M4. Its all-terrain capabilities, improved stability and reclining function would allow me to access more places, manage my symptoms more safely and participate more fully in family life.

This isn't about luxury or convenience, I will save up for luxuries like additional batteries over time. It's about independence, safety, and being able to participate in life rather than simply watching it happen around me.

Many people understandably ask whether the NHS can provide a wheelchair. I have been assessed by my local NHS Wheelchair Service, who agreed I am not well enough to self-propel a manual wheelchair. However, because I am considered ambulatory, I do not qualify for NHS-funded powered wheelchair provision under my local trust's criteria.

This leaves me in the difficult position of needing a new powered wheelchair but having no NHS funding route available to obtain one.

The funds raised will go directly towards purchasing the XSTO M4 and high backrest with headrest to support me when im unconscious. It will help me regain the independence that illness has taken away.

Every donation will bring me one step closer to:

• Spending more time outdoors with my family

• Be able to access my sons alternative provision in the woods when he needs me there with him

• Accessing places that are currently out of reach

• Managing my symptoms more safely

• Maintaining my independence

• Creating memories instead of missing out on them

If you're unable to donate, sharing this fundraiser would mean just as much. Or if you know of any charities that offer wheelchair grants for adults then please let me know.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for any support you can give.

Lucy ❤️