Making my wheelchair go further

Firstly I want to thank you, yes you, for taking the time to even open my page to read my story.  For those of you not familiar with me personally my name is Sarah, I am 28 years old and live in Derbyshire, just on the border of the Peak District. I became a wheelchair user almost two years ago due to a combination of M.E, POTS, malnutrition from Gastroparesis and severe pain from scoliosis and joint problems. The joints most affected are my back, my hips, my knees and ankles, and while I'm having regular physiotherapy I do not know what is causing the problems. At present I have Endometriosis growing on my internal ligaments within my pelvis and that pain can also be aggravated by standing and walking amongst other things. Malnutrition has impacted my mobility as for a few years I wasn't getting adequate nutrition because of my (then undiagnosed) Gastroparesis, as a result I became very weak, chronically dehydrated and my muscles atrophied. While I have been on tube feeds for two years and have regained the weight I lost, I am still very weak as the damage has already been done to my body. All these things combined have meant I now struggle to walk more than a few metres, or stand for more than a few minutes, without fatigue, tachycardia, chest pain, breathlessness, severe pain and even fainting. All this has meant that I now need to use my wheelchair for almost everything. Because I initially expected my wheelchair use to be temporary I bought a standard self propelling wheelchair with the idea that once I regained some strength and stability I would only need it for big days out. Unfortunately the damage was already done so that hasn't happened for me, as a result I am now seeing wheelchair services who are funding an active user chair, likely to be a Quickie Argon. The benefit of an active user chair for me is that it is much lighter than my current wheelchair. I am unable to actually lift my current wheelchair in and out of the car by myself or self propel for very long, especially when it comes to uneven or uphill ground, meaning that I have to have someone with me to leave the house. At 28 years old I am desperate to regain some independence. An active user chair will also be made to my measurements which will help tremendously, particularly for my back and hips, as the backrest on my current wheelchair is too far back for me so offers no support at all and again makes it harder to self propel. I realise I have already stated this will be funded by wheelchair services, but I am including this information to help explain why I am fund raising for these particular items that wheelchair services are unable to fund. They are items that will massively improve my life and enable me to get the best possible use from my wheelchair. So, the important things. Given my lack of strength to self propel on uneven ground the biggest thing I am hoping to raise money for is a SmartDrive power assist device. For those unfamiliar with the SmartDrive it is a rechargeable power assist device which attaches to a manual wheelchair and provides extra power for propulsion meaning the wheelchair user doesn't need to put as much power into each push through the wheels. This would enable me to do so much more independently, and would also make steep or long hills much more manageable for myself or the person pushing me. The SmartDrive is the most expensive thing I am aiming for so I anticipate it taking some time to raise the money for. With this in mind this will be the last item I purchase with the others taking priority time wise. I am also fundraising for some items to help me get more from my wheelchair and get me back out into the countryside surrounding me, I live in such a beautiful part of the country but I'm currently unable to enjoy it as most places are inaccessible to a standard wheelchair configuration. I am hoping to get a pair of mountain bike wheels and a FreeWheel, which combined will enable me to get "off road" onto grass, uneven ground and gravelly footpaths. The mountain bike wheels are fairly self explanatory, they are a second pair of wheels which have mountain bike tyres on and a slightly thicker push rim to give better grip. The FreeWheel is a separate medium sized wheel which attaches to the footplate of a wheelchair to lift the front castors off the ground so they cannot dig into grass and mud or lose contact with the ground and risk upturning the wheelchair. In my fundraising target I have included the cost of a separate footplate for the FreeWheel as it is a specific footplate needed to attach it to and I may not be able to pick that footrest through wheelchair services. Finally I am adding a wheel bag to store the mountain bike wheels in to prevent mud from getting into the car or house after use and some frame guards to prevent the wheelchair's paintwork getting too damaged by say loose gravel being thrown up by the movement of the wheels.  I would like to add that obviously I will be putting in as much money myself as I can manage, but I just can't afford all these things myself and they would make such a big difference to my life as a wheelchair user. As most of you know I am currently unable to work and so I only have a small amount of money spare to put towards these things. Please do not feel obligated to donate just because you have read this, but please remember every little helps and even just £1 can help. If you would like to help me reach my target, whether you are in a position to donate or not, please consider sharing my page throughout your social media as the more people who see this the more chance I have of reaching my goal. Finally I would just like to thank you again for your support with this, it means far more than I can put into words!