I've raised £20000 to enable Alex to be with his young family
Organised by tamsyn Wood
Story
Living happily in France, raising our 4 young children together, none of us expected that Alex Wood’s life, then 32, would be shattered in October 2011, when he suffered a severe traumatic brain injury while playing rugby. Indescribable pain and grief flooded our lives. Alex is now blind, severely cognitively impaired, in a wheelchair and requires 24/7 care.
Alex does not qualify for a mobility vehicle (a specially adapted vehicle to transport physically disabled people/those requiring wheelchairs).The vehicle we had for a short time has been taken back. I have exhausted every avenue trying to solve this issue. Our only option is to raise money to buy a vehicle for Alex that can be used to spend time out of a care home with his children.
Without a vehicle, father-of-four Alex, now 39, is restricted to a care home environment as his only option for spending time with his children.
When we had the vehicle, the amount it enriched Alex’s life was immeasurable. The different environments Alex got to be involved in, the normal environments and places we all take for granted; he now cannot access the world outside the care home. He cannot spend time with his children in any other environment than the care home. He is restricted to a room in a care home an hour away from his family, whom he adores.
Our children wish to describe what having a vehicle meant for their relationship with their dad:
Monty (14) “It makes interaction with Dad and his family easier. We have more to do and better places to interact. Being in the care home is a constant reminder of what happened to Dad; it’s easier to deal with when we are distracted and in other environments together. Without a mobility vehicle, we can’t take him to where we’ve made our home, he can’t come to my football matches or come to the beach. It’s horrific what’s happening to him. I’m also really worried about him: he’s not happy and he’s more alone than ever and isolated in a care home.”
Lola (13) “Having the car meant Dad spent more and better time with us. We could take him places we all enjoy. I wanted him to come to my parents’ evening because he’s my dad, but I can't now with no car; now he’s being excluded. I just want him at home, too, to snuggle up on the sofa with him and watch a film.”
Mitzi (11) “Now he has to be stuck inside a room, that’s not fair – we’re not stuck inside a room, we can go out! Dad can’t go anywhere now. Now we can’t have family trips out, we can’t take him to the beach where he loves. We can’t have as much fun with Daddy; he can’t have any fun with us now. He can’t even do the school run – I loved it when my dad picked me and my friends up from school in France.”
Esmie (9) “Before we had the car, we weren’t able to take him anywhere. He loves the beach and we can’t do that now. He loves being with his friends and joining us on dog walks. It’s made me feel really, really sad for my daddy. I like to take Dad places because it makes him happy; now we can’t. It’s unfair. I want to take my daddy places”
With a vehicle: Alex gets to be outside and to be involved in his young family’s life.
Thank you for reading this, for sharing, for your support. It would change Alex’s life for the better having a vehicle he can travel in with his children.
