Help Amelia Gain Greater Independence with a Standing Wheelchair

Meet Amelia,

A beautiful soul, courageous and ambitious. Now 17 years old, she was born premature and stopped breathing shortly after birth which led to her having cerebral palsy.

Amelia is craving a sense of self worth and dignity. Her dreams are to be able to do more things for herself such as baking. She would love to be able to create her little masterpieces with her own

hands but not having access to kitchen counters makes this virtually impossible. She is very sociable and would like to be able to go able to

partake in daily activities, the standing wheelchair would be truly life changing for Amelia.

In many ways this would be hugely beneficial not only at home, but equally at college.

To summarise, here are some of ways Amelia would benefit from having access to a versatile wheelchair such as this:

Promoting her independence

Standing wheelchair will give Amelia the chance to participate more activities fully in her daily life, and improving her function both at home and in the community.

Improving her physical health

This wheelchair will also allow her to stand and engage her muscles, which is very beneficial for her condition as she no longer has a standing frame at school or at home.

● Weight bearing would also help to reduce the weakening of bone mass.

● Reducing the incidence of spasticity and contractures.

● Enhancing her blood flow, as well as improving bladder and bowel functions.

● Reducing the likelihood of suffering from pressure sores.

● To increase easier and safer transfers to and from the wheelchair as Amelia is able to weight bear and using her strength would mean her becoming more independent.

● Helping Amelia to pursue her passion for baking and other hobbies, thereby bringing joy and creativity into her life.

This wheelchair will promote her standing ability, and enable her to go everywhere as at a push of a button she will be able to stand and not be dependent on transfers of others to a standing frame. Standing is an effective way to promote greater independence and reduce the risk for secondary complications associated with long-term sitting in wheelchairs. Standing offers the best reduction of load on the sitting bones, which helps to reduce the risk of pressure injuries. There are many functional, health and psycho-social benefits associated with standing in a wheelchair.

Amelia’s family will always be around to support her but for now they would like your support to make this dream come true.

7.5% of all donations to Tree of Hope in relation to this appeal will be allocated to the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope to cover our core operating costs.

If we raise insufficient funds, or surplus funds, then the funds will be used, if appropriate, to fund support for our child’s needs in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objects. If in those circumstances we are unable to use all or part of the funds for the benefit of our child in accordance with Tree of Hope’s charitable objectives, then any funds that cannot be used will be transferred to be used for the general charitable purposes of Tree of Hope.