John Gartland
John's page
Fundraising for THE CHRONICLE SUNSHINE FUND
Story
Why my brother John & I are raising funds for The Sunshine Fund - Peter Gartland
At the age of 5 the doctors said that I’d never be able to walk. I was born with an extremely rare condition (Hereditary Motor Sensory Peripheral Neuropathy 111) that basically means my nervous system is damaged… You could tickle my feet and I’d never know, the signals to and from my nervous to my brain just don’t work. It results in me having extremely bad balance and a lack of fine motor skills (i.e. writing). To look at me, you wouldn’t think anything wrong. It sounds so simple, how can bad balance affect someone? Well, imagine not knowing where your feet are, you can’t walk, you can’t play your favourites sports, you can’t walk alongside your friends, you can’t dance… it becomes so alienating and frustrating.
Bad balance? It wasn’t just that, it meant that I couldn’t play tag at school, I couldn’t play football when that’s all the boys did at play time, I couldn’t walk to class with my classmates, I couldn’t go skateboarding, I couldn't even play computer games like everyone else.
On top of this, I always had to have a carer by my side, someone to make sure I could get round and to carry my things, push me in my wheelchair and even to write notes for me in classes. Can you imagine how embarrassing it is for a teenager to be sat with a 40yr old helper in class?! It basically meant I couldn’t socialise properly and there was no chance of misbehaving in class or chatting up the girls.
I fell into depression. Deep, dark, angry depression. I felt like no-one wanted to be around me because, well, I couldn’t really do anything! It felt like people hung around with me because they felt sorry for me, not because they enjoyed my company. I was a burden. Someone to be polite to and then quickly make an excuse to go.
I started to see counsellors to try to work out my issues but nothing helped. My grades were falling and I began to lash out.
Then in the last year of high school, my saviour came. An electric scooter.
All of a sudden I was able to go outside at lunchtime. I was able to get to class by myself and go off with friends to the shop if I wanted to. I could be without a carer, I could be with my friends and I could finally be myself more. It was independance!
And then I got Scoliosis.
Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine, and mine was getting severe. In fact if it got any worse it could squish all my internal organs and puncture my lungs. If it got any worse they would have had to operate and infuse my spine to a straight metal rod.
After 10+ years of physiotherapy I was able to walk, not much, not well, and not running or jumping… but I could stumble down the street! This operation would mean that I would lose the necessary movement in my back to help my balance and thus walk. Meaning all that physiotherapy was for nothing. I’d never be able to walk again. This was crushing for me to hear.
Then I got my second saviour! An electric wheelchair with special adaptations to support my back, which helped to support and strengthen my back to the point where the scoliosis didn’t get worse! Phew!!
Electric wheelchairs like this cost anywhere from £8,000-16,000+. Something we just simply couldn’t afford ourselves.
It’s charities like the Sunshine Fund that help support families dealing with disabilities like mine, and give them the money to buy equipment like this.
I know that if I didn’t get that wheelchair I don’t think I could have coped... quite frankly, I don’t think I would still be alive today.
And that’s why I’m doing the Great North Run, to raise some money for the Sunshine Fund so that they can help others like me with disabilities to regain their lives back.
I’ll be being pushed throughout by my awesome brother, John - who is an inspiration in himself!
Any funds you can give will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Peter and John Gartland
At the age of 5 the doctors said that I’d never be able to walk. I was born with an extremely rare condition (Hereditary Motor Sensory Peripheral Neuropathy 111) that basically means my nervous system is damaged… You could tickle my feet and I’d never know, the signals to and from my nervous to my brain just don’t work. It results in me having extremely bad balance and a lack of fine motor skills (i.e. writing). To look at me, you wouldn’t think anything wrong. It sounds so simple, how can bad balance affect someone? Well, imagine not knowing where your feet are, you can’t walk, you can’t play your favourites sports, you can’t walk alongside your friends, you can’t dance… it becomes so alienating and frustrating.
Bad balance? It wasn’t just that, it meant that I couldn’t play tag at school, I couldn’t play football when that’s all the boys did at play time, I couldn’t walk to class with my classmates, I couldn’t go skateboarding, I couldn't even play computer games like everyone else.
On top of this, I always had to have a carer by my side, someone to make sure I could get round and to carry my things, push me in my wheelchair and even to write notes for me in classes. Can you imagine how embarrassing it is for a teenager to be sat with a 40yr old helper in class?! It basically meant I couldn’t socialise properly and there was no chance of misbehaving in class or chatting up the girls.
I fell into depression. Deep, dark, angry depression. I felt like no-one wanted to be around me because, well, I couldn’t really do anything! It felt like people hung around with me because they felt sorry for me, not because they enjoyed my company. I was a burden. Someone to be polite to and then quickly make an excuse to go.
I started to see counsellors to try to work out my issues but nothing helped. My grades were falling and I began to lash out.
Then in the last year of high school, my saviour came. An electric scooter.
All of a sudden I was able to go outside at lunchtime. I was able to get to class by myself and go off with friends to the shop if I wanted to. I could be without a carer, I could be with my friends and I could finally be myself more. It was independance!
And then I got Scoliosis.
Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine, and mine was getting severe. In fact if it got any worse it could squish all my internal organs and puncture my lungs. If it got any worse they would have had to operate and infuse my spine to a straight metal rod.
After 10+ years of physiotherapy I was able to walk, not much, not well, and not running or jumping… but I could stumble down the street! This operation would mean that I would lose the necessary movement in my back to help my balance and thus walk. Meaning all that physiotherapy was for nothing. I’d never be able to walk again. This was crushing for me to hear.
Then I got my second saviour! An electric wheelchair with special adaptations to support my back, which helped to support and strengthen my back to the point where the scoliosis didn’t get worse! Phew!!
Electric wheelchairs like this cost anywhere from £8,000-16,000+. Something we just simply couldn’t afford ourselves.
It’s charities like the Sunshine Fund that help support families dealing with disabilities like mine, and give them the money to buy equipment like this.
I know that if I didn’t get that wheelchair I don’t think I could have coped... quite frankly, I don’t think I would still be alive today.
And that’s why I’m doing the Great North Run, to raise some money for the Sunshine Fund so that they can help others like me with disabilities to regain their lives back.
I’ll be being pushed throughout by my awesome brother, John - who is an inspiration in himself!
Any funds you can give will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Peter and John Gartland