My name is Bram, I have a neurological condition similar to locked in syndrome. Its the result of a brain injury I had following a cycling accident just before my 21st birthday. I'm now 41, the only voluntary movement in my body that is reliable is in my eyes. It is only the motor functions of my brain that is damaged, the thinking part is totally unaffected. I use my eyes to control a very clever computer, which I used to write this, some people will know me better as DJ Eye Tech from The International Eye Life Radio Show.

My old wheelchair is no longer fit for purpose , its long overdue a change, I'm getting uncomfortable and sore. It affects what I do, where I go, time in my chair has to be weighed up with how much its going to hurt. I'm very keen to get a new one.

I have been fortunate enough to use a standing wheelchair before in my care. The ability to stand has been absent from my care for some time, standing during the demonstration of the Standing Wheelchair gave my body a feeling of correctness, which I didn't feel in 21 years of growing up as an able bodied person. The ability for the human body to stand is awesome and something many able bodied people take for granted.

My flesh and bone has very little binding it together , when I'm laying in bed my body is free to move independently . When I am stood, gravity forces everything into its natural place.

There are many HEALTH BENEFITS from standing , just some of them include INCREASED BONE DENSITY and other benefits to the skeleton , IMPROVED DIGESTION AND BOWEL FUNCTION , which as someone that is artificially fed this is particularly beneficial. Simply standing exercises the muscles SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING SPASMS. Changing my position REDUCES THE RISK OF DEVELOPING PRESSURE SORES. Standing also allows BETTER CIRCULATION preventing the blood from stagnating. A healthy supply of blood around the body improves a sense of WELL BEING AND INCREASED COGNITION , there are many psychological benefits.

During the demonstration of the standing wheelchair , I stood next to the bed I have to spend most days in. I looked out of the window and over the hedge into the distance. I've been in that bed for over a year and I've never been able to see that before, its something I really would like to see again.

Sadly the NHS will only fund me for a basic chair that doesn't have the capabilities of the updated version of my old standing wheelchair. The chair I want to prolong my quality of life costs £13000, the NHS voucher only covers £3200. Some additional funds have been promised, I would like to crowd fund the rest.

EVENTS ARE PLANNED OTHER IDEAS WELCOME