Hi everyone, I am Lucy, Charlies number one fan and I just so happen to be his mum.

Allow me to introduce you to my handsome, funny, determined, and caring son Charlie Jake…back in March 2009 Charlie entered the world over 8 weeks early via emergency C-section as he was dying inside of me. He weighed just 3lb 13oz and needed a lot of assistance to keep him alive with the help of what looked like hundreds of different tubes entering his tiny body. When Charlie was a few weeks old he had a routine sonogram through an opening in the back of his skull that had not yet fused because of his prematurity and it showed he had suffered two bleeds on one side of his brain. The consultant could not tell me anymore at that stage other than the bleeds had stopped and clotted and that we would have to wait and see how he developed over time to determine if there would be any damage caused by the bleeds and if so how severe. Charlie was tube fed and had to have medication every day up until he left the hospital at around 7 weeks of age, the medication carried on but I was able to feed him myself so I counted us both very lucky.

Charlie was diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy at 15 months old after the bleeds on his brain caused significant damage, meaning unfortunately he will never be able to walk. Charlie has had a number of wheelchairs since around the age of 3 years old and the majority of these chairs required someone to control them and him be pushed around. Going off road has always been a struggle, however when he was smaller it was manageable and we (myself and my parents) tried to give Charlie as many different experiences as we possibly could.

Charlie has been in and out of hospital throughout his life having tests, scans, injections into his legs to try and relax the muscles to make life easier for him and to stop pain. A few years ago he had an operation which released the tendons at the top of both legs resulting in a hospital stay for both of us and him being in a broomstick cast for a month over Christmas and new year. He has medication daily and has to undergo physio on a regular basis and wear leg and arm gators every day to give his limbs a stretch. He has been through a lot in his 11 years on earth but he still manages to muster up a smile and a joke, even when he is in pain and I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am to be his mum.

Charlie is now 11 years old and as you can imagine it is quite a challenge to push a chair anywhere other than smooth, flat surfaces. The profile picture and a few of the others on here are an indication of just how difficult getting around on different terrains is, the photo was taken back in September and I had to drag Charlies chair (with Charlie sat in it)onto the beach by myself and let me tell you it was hard work. My daughters were running around on the beach with the dog and Charlie was just sat there watching unable to join in the fun which broke my heart, he kept on asking to be taken further on the beach but I physically could not do it. This experience further cemented in my mind what I needed to do, my son is only going to get bigger and heavier and now he is at secondary school he is wanting/needing more independence. I had seen a chair that looked amazing and I had heard great things about it so I decided to book a "test drive" for Charlie to try out this all terrain powered wheelchair. A gentleman came to the house with the chair and fit Charlie into it, we were then allowed to go onto a nearby field so that myself and Charlie could see what all the fuss was about. The field was quite muddy as the weather wasn't great but the chair travelled over the muddy grass like a dream. Charlies face was a picture, his smile beamed from ear to ear and he asked me to race him, the emotions were high for us both and I even shed a little tear. On the way back home Charlie and the chair tackled a bumpy country road complete with potholes all the while he was saying how great the chair was and how much he would love to have one.

I would absolutely love for Charlie to be able to get the Trekinetic GTE wheelchair, it would allow not just Charlie but his sisters and I the freedom to go more places and create different memories. This year has made us realise more than ever how important the outside world is and the benefits that come from being able to get out into the fresh air. We were lucky to be able to get out for our daily walk however the same pavements and paths got a little boring after a while. I love to explore new places and go off the beaten track, since having Charlie that has become increasingly difficult to do so. I've often walked through places and realised that my little boy will never be able to experience what most others take for granted. I've found myself in tears on walks thinking about Charlie missing out on the simplest things just because his chair won't allow for it. I have always tried my best as a mum to give my children new experiences and take them to new places and I really do not want that to end. I would very much appreciate donations no matter how small to try and raise the money needed to purchase this amazing chair for my son, it would mean the absolute world to us.

Thankyou for reading Charlies story.

Lucy xx