At the age of 12 whilst riding on a tram in Germany, the first dislocation of my knee happened. Then around the age of 16, the arthritis began to really show itself. Pain became a daily part of my routine, despite all the medicine and pain killers I was prescribed by my GP's. Now at the age of 58, I find myself with a long list of illnesses - arthritis now affects every one of my joints, from my little finger to my hips, my neck to my little toe, there is no respite from the constant pain of the joints grinding together and the muscle becoming more and more weak. I also have an underactive thyroid, diabetes, fibromyalgia, depression, hydrodonitis (a nasty skin condition that I have had to undergo several surgeries for), ulcerated diverticulitis (a condition of the gut), eczema, etc etc. As you may know, all of these conditions causes pain and makes you very weary.

Despite all this, I have always tried to maintain a positive outlook (there is always someone out there who is far worse ofve than I am) and I have worked continuously. At some points of my life having 3 jobs to be able to keep a roof over my head. Some 12 years ago, following a very bad bought of depression, I used study to help me recover and this allowed me to eventually gain a PGCE and teach in an FE college. At last I'd found my Nirvana! A job I loved, it was a dream come true.

I still do that job today, but now I have such limited mobility (I can only walk approx. 10 steps before the pain is so bad I physically pass out) and so the only option is to become more mobile through the use of an electric wheelchair.

The chair costs £2000 and so far I have raised £650. I support my elderly mother who lives with me as well as my son, so there is no spare money at the end of the month to allow me to fund this myself. I am trying to raise money however I can, but the need is getting great and the total a long way off. If you are able to help, I can continue to teach and give something back to society.