Human Needs
Steve
I was up in the Sheffield Spinal Centre for about five and a half months after my injury. Even while I was on bed rest I started to hear about Aspire and their work and I made sure I found out a bit more when I was up and about.
At the hospital I tried out quite a few wheelchairs – it was good to get a feel for the different types and see how they manoeuvred and felt when I was in them. When I left the Spinal Centre, though, I was given a standard NHS wheelchair and was encouraged to stick with it until I was certain about what wheelchair I’d want long term – choosing one is a major thing and not something to rush.
Picture courtesy of Phil & Kathy Stanier
Once I knew what I wanted I got in touch with Aspire to help with paying for it as the NHS just don’t provide the sort of wheelchair I really needed. Through the Human Needs Fund they helped pay for a lightweight wheelchair that really meets my needs. It’s made to fit me and is much smaller and narrower than that NHS one. It has made such a difference – in the NHS chair there were doors in the house that I couldn’t get through. And I went on a stag party to Ibiza and found that because the bathrooms in the hotel were so narrow I just couldn’t get into them. Things like that just aren’t a problem anymore.
The lightweight wheelchair I have now has given me much more confidence in getting out and about – knowing that I’m not going to have that difficulty in accessing where I need to be means that I’m more willing to head out in the first place. Whether it’s getting into bathrooms and being able to turn around to close the door or pulling the wheelchair up into a car after me I feel that I’ve got my independence back.
I had my accident racing motorbikes and still miss the sport and want to be involved. I’ve always had an interest in the technical side of it and so joined a racing team running the data monitoring and analysis that is downloaded after the race. It’s been great getting back into the paddock and it takes me to races all over the country – the lightweight wheelchair gives me the confidence I need to do that and I’m looking forward to the challenges of the new season.