“You have given me freedom to live a life again.”

The words of Tina, from Chirk, who was awarded an Enable grant for a foldable wheelchair which has helped her avoid being housebound and helped her to get out and about again.

Tina has severe mobility problems due to fatigue and pain associated with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) and struggles to walk more than a few steps.

She had to rest regularly due to muscle weakness, pain and exhaustion, and the negative effects of physical activity on her health often sees her needing weeks to recover from being over exerted.

“Tina was previously loaning a power wheelchair, which was heavy, cumbersome and couldn’t be transported in her car,” says Lindsey De Bartolo, Enable Funding Officer with the Steve Morgan Foundation.

“Her symptoms began in 2005 just as she was finishing her PGCE in primary education and her mental health began to deteriorate with the physical symptoms.

“She felt isolated and unable to access the community as none of her friends or family were able to transport the chair.

“An Enable grant of almost £7,000 has allowed her to obtain a new foldable wheelchair with a lightweight compact attachable battery and hand control, making it far easier to be transported and ensuring Tina can get out and about.”

Tina is delighted with the new wheelchair, and admitted she couldn’t stop crying when first packing it up into her car and travelling out to take her dog for a walk.

She says:  “I know you don’t appreciate a lot of stuff when it’s there in front of you, but being able to go out, to see all the leaves blowing and the beautiful autumn colours, to feel cold, is great.

“The chair itself is just perfect, comfy, just the right size, and I feel really safe in it.

“It’s light, powerful, and I can get up steep hills with no problems at all.

“This will make such a difference to my life.

“I was literally housebound before I had the wheelchair and couldn’t afford to buy one because I’m on benefits.

“Shortly after I first got the chair, I was able to pack it into the car, get driven to Chirk Castle, and ‘run’ around in it.

“It was the first time I had been outside my home, apart from a hospital appointment, for nearly three years.

“The chair has given me a life outside my home, freedom to live my life again, and I can’t thank the Steve Morgan Foundation enough.”