To regain my independence.

Hi,

My name is Nicola, I live in Berkshire with my husband and 3 bundles of fur, of whom I love dearly.

in 2016 I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, commonly known as MS, to say we were shocked is an understatement,

I have friends past and present that suffered or are suffering from this unforgiving chronic illness and knew of possible hurdles in our way ( I say ‘our way’ because it affects everybody in your household and to a certain extent, the people you work with if and whilst you can)

Fast forward to now and I’ve gone from a full time retail manager role in s job I loved, to a part time position that couldn’t be any further from retail, I enjoy my job and the girls I work with ‘get me’ and help/ care for me enormously,.

My husband and I have moved from our lovely 3 bedroom end terrace to a much smaller bungalow that has taken all our savings snd much more.

I was so independent, loved working, socialising and driving, distance didn’t worry me, in fact the further the better, giving my licence up shook me to the core.

Having a wheelchair accessible vehicle that my husband has to drive, stopping me to ‘pop out’ anytime any where. really hurts.

The bungalow had to move to is so close to my work and the local shops and amenities that holds great community spirit but I can’t go to either without my husband because of 2 reasons , the first being the state of our drive at the moment it’s let’s say unforgiving to my situation, our local council are going to help us with a disability grant to help my cause.

The 2nd and main reason is the wheelchair I currently have, of which we funded ourselves it is no longer appropriate to my needs.

The MS has robbed me of many abilities, including my mobility.

I require power chair that allows me to sit comfortably pretty much all day around the bungalow, and at to work but more so to allow me to be able to venture out whether to work or simply to interact with our wonderful community or maybe enjoy a social occasion with friends/colleagues without having to worry about getting there without my husband , after all he needs to get out and have time to get away from his carers role for a few hours, not to mention my need to have my time alone, I’m sure plenty of you ladies know just hod I mean.

So getting back to my request, in needing a power chair and the cost..

I’m looking to source and purchase a power chair that will not only satisfy my needs today but one that will continue to serve me for years to come.

Why years to come?’ because symptoms of MS can raise their head or intensify current ones at the drop of a hat, I need to be 2 steps ahead of the MonSter, purchasing for the future, will reduce the need for further funds (hopefully)) and the stress involved.

After self funding for many things over the years, including the move to bungalow, repairs and renovations of said bungalows, we what is commonly know as skint.

The MS Society have very kindly gifted £2000 snd are continuing the approach more charities for the remaining we require to purchase a second hand fully serviced chair, new chairs start at around £5k to much much more..

I’m reaching out via gofunfme to help my quest for independence and a little normality all be it ,in a slightly different way.

Any donation will be received with the greatest of appreciation.

The image at the beginning of my post is of myself currently in hospital with many issue’s and complication caused by MS, with a smile on my face.