I went to work one day and came home disabled. Some days I can hardly believe it myself, but unfortunatly I'm living it every day. My hand was crushed in a door, a nasty injury for sure, but certainly not something that anyone would believe could completely change your life forever. My condition is called complex regional pain syndrome. CRPS is a neurological condition with many autoimmune symptoms too. The condition which started in my hand, but soon spread down on left side of my body, causes an extensive list of symptoms. The most debilitating and life changing of all is the relentless burning pain. The pain is there all day, all night, 365 days per year. At best it feels like being attacked by stinging nettles, at worst, it feels like being set on fire from the inside out. My nervous system seems to have a mind of its own. My left side twitches, cramps, spasms, and behaves out of my control sometimes. As a result, fingers on my left hand are now clawed so severely, that the fingernails are cutting into the palm of my hand. The skin is blistering and falling off. The blood flow changes so randomly, that it sometimes swells uncontrollably. I’m losing my memory. I’m losing my balance. Most of all, I’m losing my freedom. I used to teach PE and outdoor learning, and spent most of my free time outside. I played hockey, competed in athletics, and disappeared for weeks into the Scottish Highlands on solo wild camping expeditions. All of this is now impossible. The light at the end of the tunnel, is to be able to return to athletics as a para athlete. The first step in being able to do this, is to maintain my independence, and increase my mobility to a level where I can resume training. I am aiming to raise £1500 towards a specialist wheelchair costing over £5000. A wheelchair that's light enough to lift in and out of the car independently, and to push with one arm.  It also needs to be compatible with the one arm drive device that will allow me to control both wheels with one arm. It will allow me to continue working as a teacher, with some very challenging students, and to be able to look after myself independently.  Having more energy to do my best for the kids is top of my priority list,  but at the moment putting that energy into my work means I don't have that energy or pain tolerance for cooking,  cleaning, washing myself and other irritating life admin! The truth is,  I hardly leave the house except for work these days. I saved pretty hard for over a year and finally had the money to put down. Then (as life has a habit of doing) circumstances changed and a significant amount of my wheelchair fund will now have to go on moving expenses, or I will face eviction. Moving with the constraints of my condition (CRPS) already feels like climbing Everest! So far the response has been nothing short of incredible. The kindness and generosity that people have shown has simply blown my mind. Anything that you can do to help; spreading the word, liking on social media, or donating money will have a bigger impact than you can possibly imagine.  The thought of going out for a stroll without the fear of falling or getting stuck is bringing tears to my eyes.  I just want a tiny bit of my freedom back. Your help could make this happen. Lots of love and thanks Rachael