Subscribe to Whizz-Kidz NewsCaitriona
Caitriona lives in Cardiff with her parents and loves attending pottery and art classes. Like any young woman she also loves shopping, going into town with her friends for coffee or going out for meals. Caitriona was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was eleven years old and this meant that many of her teenage years were spent in hospital and she missed a lot of school and college.
Following brain surgery Caitriona was left with limited strength, mobility and co-ordination. Her local wheelchair service was only able to provide her with a manual wheelchair which was very restricting as Caitriona did not have the strength to self propel. As a result she became very reliant on her friends and family. Caitriona needed a powered wheelchair so she could have some freedom, but her wheelchair service had a waiting list of over two years for a basic powered wheelchair, let alone one that had the added features she needed.
Caitriona’s family applied to Whizz-Kidz for a powered wheelchair and she was provided with a “Spectra Plus” and riser. Her new wheelchair means she can join in with her friends and go where she wants without having to rely on her mum all the time. Whizz-Kidz also provided Caitriona with a second wheelchair in her later teens.
Her mum comments:
“Whizz-Kidz has made a huge difference to Caitriona’s life – having a powered wheelchair gave her the confidence and independence to do what she wanted without having to rely on me all the time”
Caitriona is a member of our network of young Ambassadors and was a member of the charity’s Kidz Board in 2002-2003.
- Share:
