A Torquay mother-of four has launched an appeal to help her 'stand again'.
Multiple sclerosis sufferer Rachel Low is trying to raise money to buy a specialist stand-up wheelchair which she says will be life-changing.
Ironically, Rachel spent a lifetime working and volunteering in the health service but the NHS has said it can't fund the piece of specialist equipment.
Rachel, a single mum and aged 55, is fund-raising herself but she has also launched a Go Fund Me page to find the £23,000 needed.
She says: "The Standing Wheelchair would be absolutely life-changing for me. All I can do at the moment is sit in my wheelchair or lie in my bed. The new wheelchair would help in so many ways - I would be able to stand up, it would be better for pain management, my mental health and interacting with other people."
Rachel, who lives in supported accommodation in St Marychurch, is a former Health Care Assistant at Torbay Hospital. She is also an 'MS Warrior' and proud mum to four 'beautiful children' - Arthur, 23, Lily, 19, Giovanni, 12, and Luka, 10.
She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1994/95 whilst living' my best life' in Canada, working as a nanny.
She says: "MS is a neurological disease which affects the brain and spinal cord, causing a serious range of symptoms. I had lived a relatively normal life with MS until October, 2017 when my life suddenly changed overnight. After putting my two small boys to bed I collapsed and suffered a spinal cord relapse that left me paralysed and confined to a hospital bed or wheelchair.
"I regained mobility above the waist but I am now in a sitting wheelchair and reliant on carers to help me with almost every aspect of my life and this I find very difficult as I was so independent. I now live in supported housing due to my significant care needs. I find this very challenging as mentally I have not changed - it's just my legs that no longer work."
She adds: "Poor me - absolutely not! Life is for living and enjoying. Although I sometimes struggle and it doesn’t get any easier to accept my diagnosis, I try to live my best life each day and enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I do get out and about when I can and this impacts every fibre of my being.
"I take lots of photos of my family but, by choice, I'm not in many now as I do not feel comfortable or confident sat in a sitting wheelchair. It is simply more normal to be stood up. I will never get used to living as a paraplegic confined to a bed and sitting wheelchair. All I want to do is stand up again which physically I can never do. After some research I found the Q-700-UP Standing Wheelchair.
"It has many health benefits such as aiding bladder and bowel problems and assisting with better circulation, digestion, bone development and vital pressure sore management allowing me to stand easily and comfortably throughout the day.
"Everyday tasks such as reaching up high when shopping, watering my plants, tidying cupboards allowing me to hold my children's hands again while standing, be my height for family photos will all become more normal again. Following a recent assessment with the wheelchair specialist and an Occupational Therapist was told this is not something the NHS can fund despite the many health benefits it provides.
"I remain hopeful and determined to improve my quality of life. Before this happened to me I assumed that all disabled people were given wheelchairs and other mobility aids as a matter of course. Sadly our NHS are unable to supply these bespoke wheelchairs.
"The standing wheelchair will also support me in my volunteer role at Torbay Hospital supporting older patients who maybe confused and scared - a role I enjoy immensely and is a way of giving something back to our wonderful NHS whom I am truly grateful to for teaching me how to live and cope with the issues MS throws up."
Rachel says the cost of the wheelchair is beyond my means as she now relies on benefits. "This is why I have set up this Go Fund Me Page to reach out to kind-hearted individuals who might be willing to support my journey," she says.
She says on the appeal page: "Your donation can make a huge difference to my life and enable me to stand tall again, something I miss each and every day."
