Help Siobhán Get Out There!

My name is Siobhán. I enjoy cooking, reading, going outside, and playing music. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME), Hypermobility Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. The list of symptoms could go on for days but it boils down to this: I am in constant pain, my brain gets foggy and my joints and muscles have all kinds of damage. This has been my life for 4 years now, but things are starting to change.

After being stubborn and refusing to use any kind of mobility aid for more than three years, I started using a walking stick. This allowed me to get out a little bit more than I was doing, but became yet another source of discomfort and pain. I got a wheelchair from the Red Cross, which has meant I can spend longer outside, but it relies on somebody pushing me at all times which is inconvenient and upsetting for me, as it means I can't go out when my mother or partner are busy (and it is a temporary, loaned chair!).

I need to get a powered mobility aid in order to successfully go back to school, get a job and do all of the things that I so desperately want to do. These things are expensive. Powered wheelchairs don't sell for less than £1000 usually, and a decent mobility scooter costs upwards of £350. I'm not eligible for an NHS wheelchair because I can get about in my own home and other schemes will only give me small discounts, which leaves me a bill of several hundred pounds. My current limitations mean I can't earn or work like I could with the right support, and my income hardly covers my living costs; it doesn't allow for me to save the costs of a decent wheelchair.

Being able to own a wheelchair that's right for my needs would open so many doors for me. It would mean I could leave my house whenever I choose; I could study freely; I could finally live more like the enthusiastic and excitable person I am! I really don't want to be trapped in my home any longer.

Anything you can give is greatly appreciated and every like, retweet and share means that I am one step closer to my goals. I'm not asking for your pity, I'm asking for a helping hand