Help Jem live his BEST LIFE!

Hello there,

It is great that you are here! We are raising money for our son Jem Timms. He needs an All Terrain Wheelchair with electric assist and additional therapy to support him in his day to day life and on future adventures. Jem is a fun loving 13 year old boy, with rockstar hair and smiley eyes. Jem has the sunniest of outlooks. We all live together in Manchester. ‘We’ are his parents and his younger brother Seb. Seb is also severely disabled. He is keen to explore more with his brother. We are a super active family. However, due to Jem’s condition and regression he can no longer walk without support. At birth, Jem got into extreme difficulty and ended up spending significant time in a neonatal unit. He experienced a HIE (hypoxic-ischemic event) which resulted in a diagnosis of cerebral palsy, epilepsy and profound learning disability. Unfortunately, in the past few years Jem’s condition has regressed significantly. After walking independently, Jem now requires a walking frame to get around at school and spends a lot of time in his current wheelchair. Reduced movement has meant Jem has lost a lot of his muscle mass. Jem’s epilepsy has also significantly increased with him experiencing multiple seizures daily and impacting on his quality of life. Jem LOVES going on day trips and adventures. We are limited in where we can go as Jem’s current wheelchair is not even up to the challenge of the Manchester cobbles let alone the countryside, seaside and beyond! Add in our typical English weather and we are often defeated before we have even ventured out. Last year, we began our search for the right mobility aid for Jem, as sadly they are not supplied by the NHS. We met up with Roger who owns the Mountain Trike Company and he demonstrated the MT ePush, an all terrain wheelchair with electric assist. It has mountain bike wheels with electric assistance so steeper hills and tricky terrain can be tackled for greater adventures. Jem could even go on the beach which he LOVES! Unfortunately the barrier is the cost. The wheelchair costs over £8,000. One activity that really helps with Jem’s mobility is hydrotherapy. This involves working his muscles in a specialist, heated pool to help Jem to maintain his strength, stamina and muscle movement. To enable Jem to access vital therapies such as; physio, rebound, occupational and play for his multiple support needs, we have set our goal at £10,000. We would love to be able to afford this aid and support for Jem but currently the cost is far beyond our reach. The all terrain wheelchair coupled with the vital therapy really would be life changing for Jem and would mean far more fun, outdoor adventures and better health outcomes for his teenage years and hopefully beyond.

Thank you for valuable time, your care and your kindness.
Jem is raring to explore the world! 

Lots of love, Dan, Solange, Jem and Seb xxxx

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.