Help support the cost of an electric wheelchair
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Lee-Ani
I'm asking for donations to go towards a Rollz motion 3 in 1 electric wheelchair. It functions as a manual push chair, walker and electric wheelchair.
The purpose of this fundraiser is to help me access the community more independently and to do so as soon as possible.
I currently mobilise at home using either an office chair or an off-the-shelf transit wheelchair (pictured above) which I manoeuvre with my feet (if pain and fatigue allow) similarly to how people 'walk' while sitting on an office chair. I use the office chair to reach the front door and then transfer into the transit chair to access outside. This also means I rely on someone (either friend or family member) to manually push me. This has worked for some time but is neither safe or sustainable long-term and is extremely isolating.
My main medical diagnoses that leave me unable to walk are long-standing severe Rheumatoid Arthritis, recent onset of functional neurological symptoms and chronic fatigue (Medications also cause fatigue, nausea and weakness). I've been living with autoimmune disease (fatigue, joint pain, swelling) since late 2017 and was diagnosed with Rheumatoid in 2018 when I was 20 years old.
I have severe functional impairment in both upper and lower limbs due to Rheumatoid Arthritis which include;
- Difficulty handling, moving and carrying most objects without assistance.
- Severe difficulty undertaking tasks involving overhead reaching.
- Lower limb limitations including inability to stand and walk due to chronic inflammation and tendon shortening/fusing of bones due to ongoing disease activity.
- Difficulty standing up from seated position and remaining standing independently.
- Difficulty walking around the home.
Since October of this year, I have new-onset functional neurological symptoms. There is currently no treatment for FND apart from stress management. FND affects the pathways/signals of the brain and not the structure of the brain so an MRI will look normal. FND can also affect gait and balance. I now frequently experience dissociative events and some of the symptoms include;
- Increased abnormal movements
- Constant dizziness
- Non-epileptic seizures
- Tremor and excessive movements of limbs, trunk and head
- Nausea and fatigue
- Inability to speak and form thoughts (Not just heavy stuttering but inability to form words and put sentences together)
- Cognition being impacted
- Freezing or temporary paralysis which affects my breathing
- Difficulty swallowing
My condition means I need a lot of help to mobilise, perform self-care and socialise and more support to help me persevere with treatments/ongoing medical expenses and life with chronic pain and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Thank you to my parents, my brother Sam, my support dog Rory, my family in NZ, my friends and my healthcare team for helping me through some of the most impossible times
Any support is appreciated at this time whether it be a donation or sharing this fundraiser to social media. Thank you for reading through to the end,
Lee-Ani
More info on functional neurological disorder below
Organizer
Lee-Ani Winter
Organizer
North Lakes, QLD