Two years ago, my mum, Tracey, unexpectedly suffered permanent damage to the nerves in her lower back, which resulted in her losing the ability to walk. Before this, she was the most active and independent person I know, with mountains of energy and eagerness to get out and go. As an artist passionate about nature and woodland, she used to spend time each day walking our dog, Fargo, in the woods local to us as inspiration for her work and to find the space she needed to relax.

The damage to her nerves leaves her in terrible pain each day, which combined with constant migraines has made life increasingly difficult. She is hoping to get a spinal cord stimulator implant to potentially relieve some of this pain, but there is little else that can be done to mitigate the pain she will be in for the rest of her life. She brought my brother and I up as a single parent, and always worked hard to provide for us. She is incredibly stoic, and continues to live as independently as possible, looking after both my 15-year-old brother, Orlando and the dog (paying for a dog walker and relying on the help of various kind friends to take him on daily walks) since I have had to move away for work and can’t be there as often as I’d like. Orlando has been fantastic in caring for her alone, but I can’t stand by and let his entire young-adult life be consumed by being a young carer.

Up until now she’d been able to cope with an inexpensive second-hand electric wheelchair, which has helped her get to the shops and around town, though rarely back to her beloved woods due to not being properly equipped for the countryside. Despite this, some fantastic friends have managed to take her to the woods a couple of times, which I know have been some of the happiest days she’s had over these past few years.

Unfortunately, this wheelchair has recently broken down and has become unfeasible to repair, leaving mum stuck at home with little ability to go outside without being pushed around, which doesn’t give her the independence she so desperately needs. I’m looking to raise some money towards getting her an all-terrain wheelchair to allow her to once again get out into the world independently, wherever she wants to be, be it the woods, beach, or around town, as well as fitting into her narrow terraced house. A wheelchair that can meet all of these requirements is unbelievably expensive, and we cannot afford this alone.

If you can help in any way to improve my mum’s quality of life by donating to this cause, I would be incredibly grateful.

Thank you

Josh