Lewisham mother fundraises to help fund athletic wheelchair for her disabled daughter
BY KATE DENNETT
james@slpmedia.co.uk
A mother is raising money to give her daughter a wheelchair to allow her to go to skate parks and compete in athletics.
Lewisham resident Irene Ansett is raising £5,000 on GoFundMe to give her nine-year-old daughter Millie a wheelchair from mobility supplier Recare.
Millie has spina bifida and is unable to access skateparks and keep up with her friends in her NHS-provided wheelchair.
Millie loves reading Harry Potter, going to skateparks and competing in athletics.
The TiLite Twist wheelchair will give Millie the chance to be more independent and compete in athletics at the S-Factor Athletic Club.
Millie has already shown her talent, having won four medals in summer camp for the wheelchair 400m, 100m and shot-put.
She won three golds and one silver with her team.
Ms Ansett said: “The wheelchair that she has got now is from the NHS.
“They won’t fund the other wheelchair that we want for her but her current one is becoming too small.
“She only recently got that one about six months ago, but a new one would not be like the one that she needs.”
The TiLite Twist wheelchair is easy to adapt and is suitable for growing children, meaning the chair would last longer.
“She doesn’t have any friends at school – she is very bright and is academically above all the children in her class – but it would be great if she could play with other cildren and be at their level.”
She idolises Aaron Fotheringham, the first person to do a wheelchair backflip – and he did it in a wheelchair just like the one Ms Ansett is fundraising for.
Millie wants to be able to get involved without being hurt or left out.
Ms Ansett said: “She does get sad quite a lot because she feels that she is the only one that can’t get up and out of the wheelchair to walk.
“There are a lot of places that don’t have the facilities, so she feels left out.”
Millie struggles with anxiety and finds it hard to make friends as she is not able to walk and join in with
the games.
They have raised £438 of their goal so far, donated by 18 people.
Millie’s older sister Isabelle has autism and her younger brother Jake is deaf.
Irene hopes to get the wheelchair as soon as possible as Recare put VAT on the chair’s price on.
The wheelchair costs £3,818 and they hope to reach their target so they can also donate funds to the S-Factor Academy, who have done a lot to support Millie.
Dr Angelika Razzaque, lead clinical director for children’s services at NHS Lewisham CCG, said: “If a child has an identified need for a wheelchair, the NHS would pay for the equipment.
But because of finite resources, specialist equipment that’s required for athletics use wouldn’t normally be covered by the NHS.
“The NHS supports people to connect with many charities in the UK that may be able to assist people with the funding of athletic equipment needed by people with disabilities.”
Millie has a lot of appointments with different consultants and has been put on a waiting list for bladder and bowel surgery.
Ms Ansett wants to give Millie some normality in her life and show her that she can achieve whatever she wants.
Ms Ansett said: “I hate asking for things to be honest, but I feel that if she doesn’t have this wheelchair, she is not going to be as independent as she could be.
“Basically, if someone can donate even a small amount that is something. We are not asking for anyone to jump to give us lots, just to give anything that could help her to be more independent.”
To donate, go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/Ti-lite-twist-wheelchair
