THE Aaron Lewis Foundation is delighted to have helped local woman Sarah Gearing in her struggle with a rare genetic condition.
The charity has helped fund a specialised wheelchair that will make her everyday life a little easier.
Sarah, 41, from Rochford, has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome – a condition that makes her body’s connective tissues collapse.
So serious is the condition that she was told in September 2017 that she would not see Christmas that year.
However, her family, friends and the local community raised £130,000 in six weeks to pay for surgery in Barcelona. It included a total neck fusion and other procedures to relieve the compression of her spinal cord.
She has recently returned to Spain for more surgery, but thanked the ALF and its supporters for the difference her wheelchair has made. The charity funded components including elevating and lengthening leg rests, seat riser and back rest recline.
Sarah explained: “Due to my condition, I dislocate or partially dislocate multiple joints daily, which can cause lasting injuries. I get spasms in my legs and if I’m not able to change position quickly, my hip dislocates.
“Also, if the leg rest elevates without lengthening, it causes my leg to twist and my knee pop out. I also need to elevate my legs quickly in the event of an attack of my autonomic failure, which could cause me to pass out or trigger a seizure.”
The chair also helps Sarah live a more independent life as she continues her recovery alongside assistance dog Otto.
She added: “Having just had further spinal surgery, I am no longer at risk of ruining that good work by not being able to maintain the correct position, especially crucial over the next year as the bones heal and fuse.”