JUNIOR Price can take his pet dog Gia for a walk again after receiving a specialist wheelchair from the Steve Morgan Foundation.
The 12-year-old has a rare genetic, neurodegenerative movement disorder called Friedreich’s ataxia (FRDA), which is characterised by a gradual loss of coordination.
Junior, who lives with his mum Natalie and sisters Macey, 17, and Keira, 11, in Huyton, Liverpool, also has a curvature of the spine, a heart condition called cardiomyopathy and needs a ventilator to sleep at night.
It left him too exhausted to push his wheelchair for more than a couple of minutes.
Mum Natalie said: “He just wants to be able to play with his friends or walk his dog, Gia.
“However, his manual wheelchair was regularly getting stuck in the grass or in the sand so rather than get involved Junior was watching from a distance. It was heart-breaking.”
The family was told that his life could be transformed with a DaVinci Leggara wheelchair with an electric powered front wheel attachment from Liverpool-based DaVinci Mobility, but they couldn’t afford the near £7,000 price tag.
After the Steve Morgan Foundation stepped in to meet the cost through their Enable Fund, Junior took delivery of his new wheelchair.
Natalie said: “We’ll never forget the generosity of the Steve Morgan Foundation. Junior has been out on his new wheelchair every single day with his dog. It’s given him a new lease of life and he’s smiling again.
“There’s no cure for his condition and I just want him to enjoy every day and smile again. The DaVinci wheelchair allows him to do that.”
Steve Morgan CBE, who founded the Steve Morgan Foundation in 2001, said: “It’s lovely to know what a difference the new wheelchair has made to Junior’s life and that he’s able to get out and about with his dog and his pals. This will have a positive impact on his confidence and wellbeing and will avoid him becoming socially isolated.”
- The Steve Morgan Foundation’s Enable Fund supports people of all ages in financial hardship, who are in need of specialised equipment, including mobility aids, wheelchairs, buggies, wheelchairs and trikes.
