Doing Things Your Way
Jack's Story
Meet Jack
Jack is sixteen, and thinking ahead to his future. He's currently studying art as well as travel and tourism at college and has big dreams of becoming an author or a singer one day.
Jack has osteogenesis imperfecta type 4, which makes his bones more prone to breakage. Without his wheelchair, he’d be even more prone to tripping, falling and breaking something.
He’s currently being assessed for a powered wheelchair, as he finds his current manual wheelchair quite difficult and tiring to push. This stops him from going out as much as he’d like; his mum Wendy uses a powered wheelchair and sometimes helps to push him but this puts a strain on her shoulders.
Jack's message for wheelchair users
Jack has an excellent way with words, which will hopefully help with his future career. In a piece that covers his story as part of our Christmas partnership with The Express, he explains that “I can do normal things, I just do them differently.”
He also has an important message for other wheelchair users, of any age:
For anyone who is also in a wheelchair like me, just know that no matter what people say to you, you really can still do what you love. Don’t let anyone’s opinion affect you.
Jack
Jack is excited for the day his powered wheelchair arrives, and looks forward to going on more day trips with his Mum. His favourite day out is Huxley’s Bird of Prey Centre, “to see the beautiful owls.”
Find out more about the Express’ support of our Childhood Can’t Wait campaign here, and read Jack’s story in full here.