Rachel’s Story

Rachel, 40, suffers from Mitochondrial Disease.

In the months prior to approaching The Robert Sinclair Davidson Foundation (RSDF), her mobility had deteriorated significantly and she was having quite a lot of falls. She was worried about how she could take her son (Ethan) out and she was also worried about caring for her parents as her Mum showed signs of Dementia. She didn’t want to place any extra burdens on her parents by not being able to look after her 6-year-old son independently. She had bought a self-propelling wheelchair but was finding this too heavy to manoeuvre and lift into the car – her son was having to help her with this.

Following an assessment, a suitable lightweight wheelchair was identified. Rachel was able to manoeuvre this with ease and propel herself up slopes, something which she could never do in her old wheelchair. She was able to dismantle and lift it into the boot of her car independently.

After applying to a few different charities without success, she applied to the RSDF which provides financial assistance for those living with life-threatening and life-limiting conditions. We agreed to fund the whole wheelchair and also funded a Smart Drive, power assist device as well.

Rachel is now so much more independent and says she was ‘blown away’ by the financial support of the RSDF.

“The difference between my old wheelchair and this new one is massive. Last summer holidays, the furthest we got was to the Supermarket and that was a struggle but this year we’ve been for lots of walks, been to the park and walked all the way round Fountains Abbey which has been amazing. It’s been fantastic, thanks so much! You’ve given us our lives back”