When Frankie got his Trekinetic wheel chair eighteen months ago the design was not crash tested so it could not be used to travel in. And although the chair is fabulous and beyond life changing with how it allows access for a more complete life, we now need to use it in a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Wheelchairs are expensive. The cost for a Trekinetic is around £14k once all the necessary parts are added on, so we are hoping to keep this chair with the alterations instead of having to fund a new chair.

Frankie is 17 and has a condition called Charcot Marie Tooth . The condition can present itself in many different ways with different people; lack of limb function, muscle atrophy and loss of sensation are all part of why Frankie needs a wheelchair. He can no longer stand at all. He has no hand or foot function and very limited use of his arms and legs. It is a cruel condition.

As a family we never want to leave anyone out and this chair enables just about any ground to be covered - the Trekinetic works very hard for us. We live by the beach and go down all the time. We cross fields together and it makes light work of curbs in cities. It can handle snow, hills, cobbles and gravel - which most powered chairs cannot.

Frankie is having spine surgery later this month and afterwards will be relying on the chair to be able to travel in our van. We will no longer be able to lift him into the front seat (preferred option!) due to the nature of the surgery.

The funds raised will allow for the crash tested seat to replace the current one. The chair will be serviced - salt water is not great for anything mechanical but this chair allows Frankie full freedom on the beach with his brothers. It needs new tires and we broke the knob off the joystick 😂.

As a parent it is devastating to need such equipment to allow your son to be part of the family. But this chair is life changing when life is changing very fast. Post surgery we will depend upon this chair and the adaptions it needs to have the world open to us still.

Frankie above surfing with The Wave Project North Devon - this allows him to surf with his brothers. But we need to trekinetic to get to the beach!

All we want to do is live our life to the full, together.

thank you.