Jason’s Story

“For two years I was confined to my bed almost 24/7… it was hard being stuck in my room, when …

“For two years I was confined to my bed almost 24/7… it was hard being stuck in my room, when I just wanted to go out like everyone else to see my friends.”

Jason received a Youngcare At Home Care Grant to upgrade his electric wheelchair, now he can get back to living the young life he deserves.

Jason was just like any other 30-year-old; independent, very social, and loved spending time with his friends and family.

Living with Cerebral Palsy had never stopped Jason being active in his community. But, almost three years ago, Jason dislocated his right hip and was diagnosed with arthritis in his hips and spine. Nothing can be done to treat Jason’s dislocated hip, and as a result, he must learn to live in excruciating pain when sitting upright.

Jason explains, “I spent the better part of more than two years in my room. We live well over an hour out of the city, so trips to the hospital in my chair were long and extremely painful. I would not be able to leave my bed for a whole week after, just trying to relieve the pain”.

The pain became too much for Jason to use his existing wheelchair for more than a couple of hours at a time. With no funding available to purchase the new tilting wheelchair, Jason was forced to spend every day limited to the surrounds of his bedroom.

“For two years I was confined to my bed. Emotionally, I just felt like I was stuck. With the pain from my hip I became very isolated,” said Jason.

Jason is going for a walk with his mom and his dog.

Diane is Jason’s mum, best friend and full-time carer. The two are very close and spend almost all their time together, but with Jason not being able to use his wheelchair, the extra support he needed day-to-day placed a large amount of strain on her too.

“I was spending 90% of my time in bed. And for mum, who is my full-time carer, it was getting too hard. It was a lot for mum and I feared I would eventually have had to look for some alternate care options,” said Jason.

Thanks to Youngcare’s generous supporters, Youngcare could grant Jason the funds he needed to upgrade his electric wheelchair. Having the new chair means Jason can get back to living the young life he enjoys; seeing his friends, volunteering and taking trips to the city.

 “The new chair allows me to do the simple things you take for granted, until you can’t do them anymore. Things like going out for a coffee, spending time with friends, volunteering… like any other person in their 30s. Long term, if I didn’t receive the grant for the new chair, I feared I would have to move out of my home, away from my family.

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