Hello! Im meg. Im 25 and i am disabled. No one knows yet what is “wrong” with me, im awaiting neurology assessments for MS potentially, but currently diagnosed with fibromyalgia and ME/CFS. Which means I suffer daily from pain and fatigue all over my body. Doesn’t sound like a lot on paper but in reality, within the last 2/3 years I’ve gone from working full time, going for walks, gym, long dog hikes, walking/running about life and doing whatever I wanted, to barely being able to walk around the house on good days. I started needing walking sticks to help with foot pain and giving me some stability as I was getting unsteady on my feet, and then started needing a wheelchair every so often, now I can’t go out without using it unless it’s a really good day (which are getting rarer). Both in and out of my wheelchair I suffer from what I suspect to be neurological nerve pains, meaning shooting sharp pains in my limbs, I get stuck in certain positions like my neck and back and can’t move, I frequently get these pains so bad and constant I can’t move an inch without agony. I get dizzy, weakness, lose the ability to walk alone or sometimes even speak with confusion and can’t get my words out. I depend a lot on my partner as my full time carer on top of him working full time.

So why the more expensive than my wedding wheelchair? (And that’s the cheapest end of the spectrum folks, disability be expensive) I am currently on the nhs only eligible for a very basic self propelled chair, which as they are made as a one sized all fit, means it’s useless to me and most other people. It has the function to be self propelled but weighs around 30 kilos or more meaning it’s more like dragging my own limp body plus a big vehicle around with my already weak arms. So I can only use it and therefore go out of the house when Tom is with me to push me. Which as a previously healthy 25 year old is incredibly soul crushing and demeaning. They say if you don’t use it you lose it, and currently my arm functions are a lot better than my legs. And I enjoy propelling myself around where I can on flat ground. But it’s hard. And it means in the week whilst Tom is at work, im pretty isolated to my home. I can’t go out and enjoy the things I used to, unless I do it in very small doses (walk around the few charity shops local to me) and then be in a lot of pain the rest of the week. My conditions work in a way that the more I do, the more pain I will suffer because of it. So the idea is to maintain my energy where I can. The chair I am funding for is a quickie argon in pink (obviously, it’s me) which is a lightweight 8kg rigid active chair, meant for people like myself who are able to propel themselves around, I tried one out a few weeks ago and it’s like flying! I’ve never gone so fast and with such little effort. The wheelchair is completely made to my measurements, with added things I may need like ergonomic propels for my hand nerve pains, specific seat cushion for the pains and sores I get sitting, lighter weight wheels that don’t get punctured to mean I’m safe to go out on my own and not get stuck.

All of this in a wheelchair means I gain back my independence. My freedom. And my sanity. It’s also my wedding in October, and as these chairs take 8 weeks to make plus time to fund, saving the rare spare money from my benefits I rely on to get by or the sales by my small business selling my art would take me years. And more than anything I would love to have my own wheelchair to wheel myself down the aisle and marry my best friend who does so much for me - plus give his poor arms a break. As I continue with my small biz I will hopefully be able to contribute a small amount myself too, but as much as I hate to do so, I need help with the majority funding. The deposit amount is £1500 and then I can order the chair and have 2 months until it’s ready to raise the rest of the money.

I know times are rough for everyone right now, and if you got this far in my little essay thank you haha. If you could donate even the cost of buying me a pint (although I don’t drink either sorry) (also how much is a pint these days?) I would appreciate it more than ever. Thank you, truly!