Wonderful Wheelchairs

When the dude was very small, probably only 3 or 4 years old, we found out that he was definitely going to need something that looked much more like a wheelchair and less like a standard push chair. I can still remember the feeling as my heart cracked a little more.

As a baby it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that our boy would need one - maybe he would learn to walk given time, physiotherapy and support? This was however not to be and while he is absolutely wonderful he has decided that his legs are fairly useless appendages, good only for kicking unsuspecting people and certainly no use for actually supporting his body weight!

If I could go back in time I would love to tell my younger self that its ok to be sad about the dreams that were never going to be.

No-one ever wishes for their child to have significant disabilities, and absolutely no-one wishes for their child to need a wheelchair. I can still remember the kindness of the gentleman at the wheelchair clinic as he helped the Dude choose what colour covers he would like on his new chair – his gentle manner and the way he helped me remember that this was just another tool to help my son, eased the sadness enormously.

My boy’s wheelchair is so much more than just a mobility aid. It’s his way of accessing the world around him and gives him an independence he otherwise wouldn’t have. It allows us to go out as a family, to go shopping together and to visit friends and family.

It allows him to be seated comfortably, supporting his body when his muscles struggle to do so. We are so fortunate that such equipment exists, yet so many families like ours have to battle for their loved ones to access it. After the Dude had spinal fusion surgery in 2023 he was measured for a new wheelchair – that chair took over 18 months to arrive.

Not because it was a complicated order, but because the company commissioned to provide wheelchairs in our area failed to anticipate the level of need and so were overwhelmed by demand. Seeing my child struggle in a chair that he had outgrown was awful, I’ve learned to be incredibly grateful for it and to see it as simply an extension of my boy… I’ll be honest, it has given him a life that he wouldn't otherwise have had and for that it’s the most wonderful piece of kit that we possess.