Harper Needs Wheels

Hello, I am Harper's Dad. I need your help.

You see, Harper has an illness, a degenerative nerve condition, known as Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) Disease. Currently there is no cure and as Harper grows, doctors believe that her CMT will continue to weaken her arms and legs. This also negatively impacts her endurance and strength, and generally how she functions throughout her day.

Harper will soon be 13 years old and already she needs to wear Ankle Foot Orthotics (AFOs), she cannot walk long distances and she cannot easily walk up and down a stair case. Harper cannot move her toes, feet and ankles and her lower legs are now quite thin due to the muscle wasting that CMT causes. Harper’s hands are also beginning to weaken and she cannot grip a pen/pencil as is expected, she cannot write as her same age peers can and even using a computer and a touch screen can be difficult for her.

Already at 13 years of age, Harper's CMT is taking too much away from her.

Recently Harper was provided with a motorised wheel chair - which I am incredibly thankful for!

Now she can zip around in a manner that she has never been able to before. However, now that Harper has an amazing piece of assistive technology, I cannot transport it for her. Simply, it doesn't fit in our family car.

Right now, we have no way of independently transporting Harper to school with her wheel chair and when we need to travel to Melbourne - so that Harper can meet with her treating medical team - we cannot take her with her new wheel chair!

The reason Harper needs a motorised wheelchair is because her CMT leaves her physically unable to self propel a manual wheelchair.

Although we have been provided with her motorised wheel chair I have now been told that buying the appropriate car to transport Harper and her wheelchair is an "everyday expense." Quite simply, I cannot buy my daughter the car that she needs.

Oh, how I wish I could buy this car for my daughter and family! I work full time and also pick up weekend work, yet even with me doing this, I simply cannot buy what my daughter and family needs.

This is where I hope you can help me. I hope and pray that through the efforts of many, we can get Harper what she and our family need.

My dream is that 80000 people will donate $1 so that this fundraising effort will highlight to thousands of people the gaps that exist in Australia’s current disability care system. Each day is hard and it’s not always made easier by those who are meant to help.