Hi, my name is Amanda and I have created this just giving page to help raise funds to help buy my daughter Lauren Power Assist Wheels for her self-propelling wheelchair.  

Lauren is 19 years old and suffers from over 15 physical health conditions which all come with their own set of complications. Her two main issues are that she has been left unable to walk or move around properly and this has left her dependent on her wheelchair. 

Lauren is also unable to eat and drink and relies on a central line (which is a line that goes to her heart) for TPN (total parental nutrition), which is a type of artificial nutrition that goes straight into the bloodstream in order to bypass her digestive tract to give her nutrition, fluids and medication. She also relise on her PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) which is a tube placed in the bottom of her stomach to continuously drain her stomach contents and her Jejunostomy for medication. 

We are aiming to raise at least £5,800 for an electric add-on called a smart drive, which attaches to the bar at the back of Lauren's wheelchair. Unfortunately, this is not available through the NHS (and like all disability equipment is very expensive). Any money additional to this amount will go to towards a new active wheelchair which is around an additional 3,160 (total of 8,960) to replace her current one that will be custom fitted to Lauren. As well as towards a better cushion for her wheelchair. We bought an active manual wheelchair for Lauren, which has allowed her to regain some independence, however she still has very limited options on where she can go and what she can do. Hills, slopes and uneven ground, makes being self-reliant almost impossible and she requires help to move along safely a lot of the time. Lauren is unable to push herself very far without getting very tired very quickly or dislocating her shoulders. Having this add on to her wheelchair would completely change what she is able to do and give her back a great deal of the independence and freedom she has lost over the last few years. It would open up a whole new world of possibilities in this inaccessible world. Any funds that maybe raised over our target will be directed towards replacement of Lauren's current chair, then surplus funds will be donated to Guts UK, a charity Lauren has raised money for previously. 

It would mean so, so much to us if you could make a donation no matter how big or small or even just sharing this if you aren’t in the position to donate. We know that money is tight with the state of the world right now so please know that even £5 helps Lauren and gets us closer to our goal and for that we are beyond grateful as it will make such a difference to her and her life. 

Lauren has always loved helping others and she hopes to go into nursing in the future. She has an offer to start her degree in September 2023, sadly though due to her declining health, she has had to defer.  These wheels will help her achieve her nursing ambition. Lauren hates having to ask others for help now the tables have turned, but she hopes people will help, like she would. 


Thank you so much for even just reading this and for sharing or donating it truly does mean the world. 

If you would like to read more about a few of the things Lauren has there are some links below: 

https://gutscharity.org.uk/advice-and-information/conditions/gastroparesis/

https://surgery.ucsf.edu/conditions--procedures/intestinal-failure.aspx

https://www.potsuk.org/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325439#other-causes

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/malnutrition/

https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/hypermobile-ehlers-danlos-syndrome-heds/