I live with my family in Chester, England. As I’ve grown older, and needed more and more help, our previous house became too small for me. Soon I will have two carers with me, round the clock. I needed more space for my supplies, my equipment and my carers. And it’s important to keep my family together. So my mum and dad have been working hard to find us a new home.
Why a new home?
It’s important for me to be near my parents and especially my brother (what can I say - he needs me!). They know me best and what I need. So I have to have my family around me. But I also need my carers.
And I’ve never been able to have friends round to my house. There just isn’t enough room for all the wheelchairs! It would be amazing to have space for them to visit and perhaps watch a film or enjoy some music therapy together.
Home is the best place for me where I have everything I need. It’s like having a hospital in my home. And for a hospital, you need a lot of space. Space for my two wheelchairs , all my supplies, my special bed and bath , my hoists - everything.
The bath has always been one of my happiest places. I have a very special bath, which goes up and down for my carers. It cost £11,000 (!) and has a spa function which I love. The bath was installed in our last house and is waiting reinstallation in our new home.
Privacy
Though we all want to live together, it can be difficult for the rest of my family, when there are carers in the home all day and all night. It makes it hard to have a private family life. Sometimes I’m noisy at night and wake everyone up. My mum is basically a superhero . But even superheroes need to sleep.
The new house
In March 2021, we moved into our new home, in a temporary arrangement. There is a double garage, that will be turned into an annex for me, and there will be a new room, for my carers and my equipment. In the meantime, I am using the lounge as my bedroom.
The phenomenal fundraising efforts of my family and friends have made this possible. We have used some of the money for a few things so far, including:
- Installing wheelchair-accessible external doors
- Relocating meters (out of the double garage, which will be my bedroom)
- Funding the bridging loan (so we could briefly have two houses at once)
- Initial essential renovations
- Architect’s & structural engineer’s fees
- Removal costs
Things left to do:
- Convert the double garage into my bedroom/bathroom
- Build the new room for staff and facilities
- Widen internal doorways for my wheelchair
Thank you so much to everyone who donated. I look forward to telling you when my new annex is ready!