'It helps me play and be included' Fundraiser set up to help eight-year-old who needs a specialist wheelchair

Bobby Sproston’s wheelchair is now too small for him and is falling apart, it’s also unsafe and no longer supports his posture. He can no longer sit straight and the curve in his spine is worsening, as well as causing him pain - and means his hard-won independence is now fast disappearing.

Not only does Bobby self-propel in his wheelchair, he’s learnt to transfer himself from the floor into his chair, and he loves to be active - attending cubs and swimming, as well as chair racing, wheelchair skiing, basketball, golf, hockey and badminton. But to go anywhere and do anything he needs the right wheelchair – and this costs £4,793.

Now Newlife The Charity for Disabled Children has launched an appeal to raise the necessary funds for the wheelchair so Bobby can safely continue to live the life he wants, without pain and with the independence he cherishes. Newlife is the largest charity provider of specialist disability equipment in the UK, providing wheelchairs, buggies, beds and car seats.

When Bobby was born, he was rushed to another hospital with a police escort and was found to have a blockage in his bladder, which was quickly rectified. He was taken home by parents Amy and Robert with no sign that anything else was wrong, but it became clear he couldn’t move his legs and doctors told his worried parents that firstly he may have emerging Cerebral Palsy, then perhaps a brain injury.

However, a second opinion on a scan taken when Bobby was two years old finally revealed a spinal cord injury sustained at birth, which means Bobby will always need to use a wheelchair.

This was the second medical tragedy to hit the family as his older brother Leo, aged ten, had developed sepsis when he was five months old, resulting in an almost fatal cardiac arrest which left him with an acquired brain injury, unable to speak or walk.

 Bobby's mum, Amy, said: “Leo is a very happy and very able boy and he uses an electric wheelchair to navigate his world, but with Leo and Bobby both in wheelchairs life is hard and busy. We constantly have to think about where we need to go and how we will manage, but Bobby not having a wheelchair we can rely on, and which is suitable for him, is a big worry. He’s already regressing and needs help with things he used to do himself, which is devastating to him.

 “His wheelchair no longer supports him, and I can see he is always leaning to the left now and the curve in his spine is getting worse because he’s using a wheelchair which is now unsuitable.

 “The brakes on his wheelchair no longer work either, so he can’t transfer himself from the floor into it as it isn’t stable so he could fall. Even when we went away in the summer, a wheel on Bobby’s wheelchair came off and we had to go to a bike repair shop to temporarily repair it, just so we could stay there.”

 The only wheelchair the family’s local Wheelchair Services can offer is too heavy and bulky for Bobby to use, doesn’t provide the support he needs, and will limit his independence, especially at his mainstream school where he needs a wheelchair light enough to use by himself all day.

Bobby said: “I like my wheelchair to be fast and light so I can keep up with my friends and not be left out. It helps me play and be included and so I can do things for myself.”

Amy added: “Having a wheelchair is really important to Bobby, and he uses it skilfully. He’s a very chatty, quick witted boy who loves to socialise; he lets nothing stop him and he has no fear. But he needs this wheelchair so he can live his life and it’s important that he gets it just as soon as he can.”

To donate to help Bobby receive the wheelchair he needs, please visit here. Alternatively, you can email fundraise@newlifecharity.co.uk or you can call  01543 462 777. 

A spokesperson for Newlife The Charity for Disabled Children said: "Always get the bill payer’s permission. Any money raised above the amount needed for the wheelchair Bobby needs will be used to help fund equipment for another child