Your friends are fundraising. Don't miss out, opt in.
I've raised £2000 to Help fund a lightweight weight wheelchair to exercise in...
I've raised £2000 to Help fund a lightweight weight wheelchair to exercise in...
Organised by Zoe Metcalfe
Give NowDonations cannot currently be made to this page
Barnsley, United Kingdom ·Disability support
Story
Hi my name is Zoe and I was born with an hip problems that caused my hip to collapsed when I was 24. I have had two full complex hip replacement and I am waiting for a knee replacement. I suffer from osteoarthritis in the majority of my joints and recently I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Due to pain I have limited mobility and I use two elbow crutches and wheelchair. After ballooning to a staggering 145.5 kilos (22 stone 12lb or 320lb) I was told I was morbidly obese with a BMI of 59 and I was at risking major illness including obese related cancers, heart attack and type 2 diabetes among other obese related illness. My G.P and orthopaedic surgeon insisted I had Bariatric Surgery. But after doing research and speaking to individual that had already had surgery I decided this was not the way forward for me. I went against the G.P and surgeon and refused surgery. In the past, when I have tried to address the issue of my spiralling weight gain I have joined a traditional weight losing class and attended exercise classes but these have always failed gaining extra weight. Due to my disability I have found exercising with peers distressing. I am often patronised and often left feeling I shouldn't be there. After these negative experience and against my better judgement my sister dragged me to a Zumba session (in my wheelchair) kicking and screaming. For the first time in my life I was welcomed with open arms, I was made to feel "normal" and the people at the class saw me and not just my wheelchair. With the support from my amazing family and friends and Barnsley P.S.S I have lost 46.6 kilos (7 stone 4lb or 103lb). This weight loss as taken a lot of hard work but it's given me the confidence to find more exercise classes. My current wheelchair is a bariatric chair which is now too wide, very heavy and cumbersome to manoeuvre. The chair now offers no support. With your help I would like to replace my wheelchair for a light weight wheelchair. That will allow me to exercise safely and with the support I need. The chair I would like is ridged lightweight wheelchair.