Young carer with fibromyalgia taking on Hybrid Games to raise funds for a powerchair for teenager

A Medstead carer is taking on the Hybrid Games in Farnborough this month to help raise funds for a wheelchair for the teenager she cares for.

Asher, now 13, lives in Farnborough with his mum Sarah and dad Simon , who both work in IT.

He was born ten weeks early with three holes in his heart. He was diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy at eight months old and has endured many operations. He is a full-time wheelchair user and communicates using eye pointing and a head switch device.

Asher a is happy, determined boy and enjoys X-box, music and reading, as well as going camping and to festivals with his family and to Fulham FC matches with his dad.

Sydney-Rose, 25, has been working as a part-time carer for Asher for two years at home and worked with him at his school before that. She is kicking off the fundraising for a £10,770 power chair, which Asher would eventually be able to operate himself and would allow him more independence.

'So my training has been set back a little, I have fibromyalgia and ADHD, and I have no aims in terms of time – all I want to do is complete the course and help raise funds for Asher.

‘As Asher’s carer, I have the privilege of seeing just how hard he works every single day to accomplish things many of us take for granted. Despite the challenges he faces, Asher is full of personality, strength, and determination. He is truly one of the coolest 13-year-olds I know.

‘He has a brilliant sense of humour and is always quick with a joke or bit of banter! We spend a lot of time getting up to all sorts, from cooking and putting on magic shows to dressing up as minions at Halloween! 

‘Looking after Asher is full of laughter and a lot of fun, and I would really love to see Asher have the wheelchair he needs to enable him with some independence.’ 

The Hybrid Games takes place on April 12 in Farnborough and is made up of ten stations with different fitness challenges at each one, with 600 metre runs between each one.

The family is being supported by children’s charity Tree of Hope, which helps families raise money for children and young people like Asher for medical treatments and healthcare services not freely available to them through the NHS and social care. The charity provides fundraising guidance, campaign development, financial management, charity registration and emotional support from the Family Support team. Families like Asher’s benefit from having the support, tools and resources to fundraise effectively as well as access to gift aid, corporate support while also providing donor reassurance.

To sponsor Sydney or to donate to Asher’s fund visit https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/get-involved/childrens-campaigns/enabling-asher/ or https://www.justgiving.com/page/enablingasher