New wheels for Ron!

Hello!

We are Tim and Carina, children of Ron Finneran and we (unbeknownst to our father) are asking for your help to raise funds for a much needed powered wheelchair and accessible vehicle for our Dad.

Before we ask for you to hand over a few of your hard earned dollars, we’d like to tell you a little bit about him, why he is struggling to keep mobile and why your donation would mean the world to us.

Dad was born in Sydney in 1944. He was a perfectly happy healthy 18 month old when the polio virus ravaged his little body. Over a matter of days our grandparents watched their son go from having cold like symptoms to becoming almost completely paralysed. He spent the next five years of his life in hospital, at times in an iron lung to help him to breathe. The virus affected over 70% of his body and left him disabled for life.

He grew up in a time where disability and discrimination largely went hand in hand and opportunities for people with disability to participate, succeed, let alone excel in any aspect of life were few and far between.

Despite this, and perhaps because of it, he is one of the most resilient, determined and relentless people we have ever met.

Over the years our Dad has achieved incredible things and dedicated much of his life to paving the way for other people with disability to participate, excel and achieve incredible things too.

He was Australia’s 1st Winter Paralympian, Co-Founder of the National Sporting Organisation - Disabled WinterSport Australia, team manger for the Winter Paralympic team for 5 Paralympic Games, recipient of the Order of Australia medal and other numerous national sporting medals and has been inducted into both the Australian Sport and Paralympic Halls of Fame.

When he retired from the national sporting scene he took it upon himself to start focusing his enthusiasm into advocating for change and support for those in our local community.

He is a long standing member of Merimbula Rotary, Founder of the Bureau of Accessible Tourism and member of The Access and Inclusion Committee for our local shire. In more recent years he started an organisation to help support our local talented youth in their sporting and arts endeavours. The list goes on..

Always advocating for those less fortunate for the right to be seen, heard and included in our society.

In recent years what is know as Post-Polio Syndrome has begun to take its toll and its effects are ravaging his body once again. We have been forced to navigate rapid physical deterioration, mental health, mobility/transport aids and personal carers. And although the will exists, Dad’s physical ability to remain independent and partake in his community has diminished.

Unfortunately he does not qualify for the NDIS, he was over the cut-off age of 65 when the program was introduced and so is forced to navigate his disability needs through the My Aged Care system. Although we are grateful for this system, it does have its limitations.

Recently we completed an accessible bathroom renovation for Dad, and together with his current personal care costs he has used up the majority of his allocated My Aged Care allowance.

Not one to ask for help, he has already sat down with his care package manger and worked out that it will take approximately 10 months to save enough money to purchase the individualised powered wheelchair he needs priced at $30,000. This does not include a vehicle that will then be able to transport him around his community.

Our mother Lisa has always been his number one support and carer but faced with her own health battles the ability to continue with the status quo is not possible. And with the likelihood that Dad's own care needs will increase or the need to purchase new mobility aids will occur in the interim this pushes out his ability to purchase the wheelchair beyond the initial 10months.

We are asking for your help to achieve this goal sooner and get a head start in saving toward a vehicle that will allow him to be social and participate in community events again. A powered wheelchair for him means less transfers and pain from overused shoulders, less falls from his manual wheelchair, less anxiety about managing funds and instead more energy, more comfort, more autonomy and the ability for him to remain involved his community.

We understand the cost of living is hard right now and so are asking to only give if you are able, perhaps even the cost of a takeaway coffee. And if you are unable, then a share to help spread the word is really appreciated ❤️

Cover Video - Meet Ron Finneran

Image 1 - Dad on the right. Learning to walk with callipers at Margaret Reid Hospital.

Image 2 - Dad May 2023 - trialling a powered wheelchair for the first time with 2 of his grandsons.