Fundraising for a powerchair so Hallie can be independent

My name is Louise and I’m fundraising for my daughter Hallie.

We ideally need to purchase a power chair with mid wheel drive as the lift and space at Hallie’s school is limited so these have the smallest turning circle. Also storing the chair at home when not in use will be easier too. Hallie also needs a chair that won’t tip when 2 oxygen cylinders are added. During the school day she will need around 1.5 cylinders worth of oxygen hence one not being enough. The mid wheel drive chairs also tend to be more stable.

Hallie been diagnosed with right sided pulmonary hypoplasia and mediastinal shift. She also has early onset scoliosis and Pulmonary Hypertension. Hallie is currently on oxygen therapy treatment 24 hours a day and a Bi Pap sleep machine at night as a treatment.

Due to the Pulmonary Hypertension Hallie’s physio’s have advised against her heart rate going above 120 bpm due to needing more oxygen as not being able to maintain her oxygen saturation levels. This means that self-propelling a manual chair is virtually impossible for her. This means she is currently relying on people to push her in her manual wheelchair provided by the NHS.

As you can imagine being pushed into secondary school by your Mum is very embarrassing.

There is no cure for Pulmonary Hypertension however we are off to Great Ormond Street in a week to see if the specialist team there can offer Hallie any other treatment to help ease her symptoms.

Prior to January 2024 Hallie attended several dance classes a week, gymnastics and roller-skating lessons. Hallie started to become short of breath so the activities slowed down and eventually she wasn’t attending any of her classes.

Since not being able to do any of her physical hobbies Hallie has taking up crocheting. She loves to make little animals (she calls these plushies). She has made Whales, Frogs, Chicks, Penguins, Bees plus lots more. She really enjoys doing her crochet as it makes her forget that she’s not normal! Her words.

When the weather is nice Hallie enjoys walking the dog with me (Mum). We have a cockapoo called Remi. Hallie only has a manual wheelchair currently so pushing her and holding the dog lead can be a bit tricky sometimes. However, I think it’s important for Hallie to get out as much as possible.

We really feel that Hallie needs to still be independent and live a close as normal life as possible and by having a power chair this will allow her to do activities with friends and not worry about who’s going to push me!

Thanks for taking the time to read this and supporting her cause if your able too.