Jess is 21 years old and suffers from a condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which is a connective tissue disorder that affects her joints and organs. Jessica has up to 15 dislocations and subluxations of her joints every day and through the night. This includes her hips, ankles, knees, jaw and shoulders. It has also affected some of her organs which caused her to have Gastroparesis and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia syndrome (POTS). Jess took ill at the age of 14, prior to her illness she was a very active child. She loved dancing, singing, acting and sailing. She loved learning at school and was a very academic student. Her ambition was to become a Cardiothoracic Surgeon but after her EDS diagnosis at the age of 18 she was told she wouldn’t be able to become a surgeon. This really upset Jess and for a while she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life.

Her condition has deteriorated over the past 2 years and she is in a lot of pain every day, especially her back and neck as her discs have started to move due to the EDS.

Jess currently has a manual wheelchair but is no longer able to propel herself as she dislocates her joints, so she has to be pushed by someone when she goes out. Also her current wheelchair has no suspension so it causes more back pain when using it outside. The new chair we would like to get for Jess is a Quickie Jive M Hybrid powerchair which has full suspension, tilt and raise and neck support. The photo on this page shows Jess trying out the chair. The cost of this made to measure wheelchair is £9000.

Jess would like to pursue a career as a sports journalist or presenter but her dream job is to be a wrestling commentator. This chair will give her back her independence, confidence and mobility and hopefully help her achieve her future career goals.

We would be so grateful for any donations towards helping Jess regain her independence and allowing her to chase her dreams.

Thank you.