4 years ago my dad was diagnosed with MSA - Multiple System Atrophy, a rare degenerative neurological condition that there is very poor awareness of both publicly and in the health sector. He currently uses a wheelchair for any outdoor mobility, however the pushing and lifting of it is hard for my mum (my dad is 6ft 2 after all!) and we would love dad to have more independence. We have therefore applied for an electric self-propelled wheelchair via the NHS, only to be told that if he is eligible for one, he will not receive it for at least 18 months. 18 months is a very long time for someone with MSA and we can't predict what my dads' mobility will be like by then, but most likely he will have different requirements to that which he has now.

So, my mum has looked into the cost of buying one herself, and has managed to source one at around £1300 but this is a lot of money for them during retirement, and not I expect, how they dreamt of spending their pension. This brings me to you guys. Our family has raised over £10000 for the MSA Trust since dad's diagnosis, but it would be great to be able to make a tangible difference to dad's quality of life. If you feel you can help make that difference and offer them something to go towards it, please please donate - it would mean the world to us as a family if we could help make life as full as possible for my dad, despite MSA.