My son Jack was involved in a road traffic accident earlier this year which wrote off his wheelchair accessible car but also wrote off his powered wheelchair which was in the back at the time. His car will be replaced through the Motobility scheme but this doesn't cover his wheelchair. We were forced to buy an old one off ebay after the crash that is holding together for now but it is outdated and we can't get the spares.

Jack suffers from an ultra rare genetic disease called Morquios, he relies on his wheelchair to get about, it is his legs effectively. Another implication of the disease is he is of very short stature standing at 125cm tall , this is his full adult height. The wheelchair he needs like his old one has the ability to raise him up to almost average adult height. This is important for his quality of life and independence. The adaptions in our bungalow rely on the ability to raise up in this wheelchair, going into shops and reaching things off the shelf, going to the bar! At the moment due to the unreliability of the chair he has and without a car he has lost most of the independence he had come to enjoy.

As Jack is nearly 21 there are very few charities that you can approach for help with funding for powered wheelchairs. It's crazy as there are quite a few that are available for under 18's. Do people think once you get over 18 you don't need a wheelchair anymore? When we received the quote for a new chair it was mind blowing given that the local NHS wheelchair service has allowed £2300 to replace his old chair on the voucher scheme. Jacks wheelchair is unavailable though the NHS hence our appeal for help.

To make matters worse Jacks younger brother Lewis who has the same condition needs his powerchair replacing to due to age and wear and tear. "Luckily " he is under 18 so we have applied to other charities to see if they can help otherwise the total needed would be close to £35,000. As parents we are trying to do right by our children.