Safe Wheelchair for Rebecca

I have fantastic news! My new wheelchair is arriving a week on Monday! Please read the latest update for more details.



I'm raising money for a new powerchair to enable me to live my life as safely and independently as possible.

I have a range of conditions including Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), which causes severe pain; Generalised Hypemobility Spectrum Disorder (g-HSD), causes fatigue and frequent dislocations; and Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), which causes rapid heart rate, light headedness and fainting when sitting upright or standing.

I currently use a Quickie Rumba powerchair to get around but this has no suspension and poor shock absorbancy. Due to this I am regularly having dislocations and subluxations (partial dislocations) from just going over small bumps such as when mounting a dropped curb.

In addition to needing a chair with better suspension I need to be able to alter my position through the day to reduce pain and the likelihood of POTS attacks. Currently if I have to spend more than a few hours at a time in my wheelchair I'm left having to take extra pain killers due to the pain sitting in one position all day causes. I am also becoming accustomed to having to get out of my chair and lie down on the floor in order to regulate my heart rate. A chair which had a powered tilt and recline would eliminate the need to do this.

I'm currently waiting for an NHS assessment for a new powerchair. So far I've been waiting for an appointment to come through since May and my local services are so over-stretched that they cannot estimate how long the wait for an assessment will be.
Powered wheelchairs are extremely expensive and technical pieces of kit. Even my current very basic chair costs around £2,500. There are a couple of models of chair which may be suitable all at around the £10,000 price point if not higher.
I will use some of the funds to book a private assessment to help me choose my wheelchair if an NHS assessment takes too long to happen.
If when I get an assessment the NHS Wheelchair services offer me some funding I will adjust the goal accordingly.
In the unlikely event that NHS Wheelchair services offer me the full funding for a chair which will meet my needs I will offer donors a refund or donate it to another disabled person crowdfunding for a mobility aid.
If there are any surplus funds left over after the purchase of a powerchair I will donate these to another disabled person who is also crowdfunding for a mobility aid.