Member Article

Amelia’s new wheelchair puts on a smile on her face!

A nine-year-old girl from Knaresborough with a congenital neuromuscular disease has finally got the wheelchair she needed after finding the NHS’s standard wheelchair provision far too heavy to give her independence.

Amelia had been using the same wheelchair that she had been prescribed almost four years ago based on what she needed, not what she wanted. The wheelchair was a standard generic model that no longer offered her the right level of mobility or support. It was also too heavy for her to push herself.

Amelia wanted independence and individuality, but the NHS Wheelchair Service provider could only offer a larger version of her existing chair. Her family decided to visit Yorkshire Care Equipment, their local mobility shop that specialises in wheelchairs, to see if they had anything better to offer.

Yorkshire Care’s showroom advisor, Gary Hornsby-Shawe, said:

“When I first met Amelia and her family, it was pretty obvious that her wheelchair just wasn’t right for her anymore. We sat together and did a sort of wish list of things she could have in her new wheelchair, and then we set to work arranging it all.

“I have to admit, Amelia has been one of my favourite customers to work with – she had such a big smile with her new chair!”

She wanted a wheelchair that was a bit more fun and livelier that could also provide her with the right level of mobility and support whenever she needed it. Once she had been measured up, Amelia decided on a flamingo glitter pink finish, with flashing light-up front wheels!

Yorkshire Care also made sure to include a comfy seat cushion and a SmartDrive powered add-on that gives Amelia some extra power when pushing her new Zippy Youngster 3 wheelchair.

Amelia’s Mum, Lisa Beaton, said:

“Amelia loves her new wheelchair because it’s so lightweight, she can push it herself. It’s a joy to see her in it!

“We went to Yorkshire Care Equipment because they’re local and it’s important to support the community. They were incredibly helpful and really did pull out all the stops to make sure my daughter’s wheelchair was exactly as she wanted it to be.”

The company certainly put a smile on Amelia’s face - visit the Yorkshire Care website to see her using her new wheelchair! Amelia’s wheelchair was funded by charitable donations by The Lions Club of Knaresborough, the Rotary Club of Knaresborough, the NewLife Charity, and a private donor.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lucie Hudson .