Plymouth teenager Cameron Greenwood urgently needs a new, larger specialist bed to help him sleep in comfort.
Eighteen-year-old Cameron, who is totally wheelchair dependent, has Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and his legs are fixed at a 90 degree angle. Repositioning him several times a night to help relieve the painful spasms his condition causes is becoming increasingly difficult, mainly due to his existing small bed, in which his parents have to move him around. Mum Jo Greenwood said ”
As Cameron’s limbs are extremely fixed due to his high tone, moving him and getting him into a comfortable sleep position is not simple. We have to change his position many times each night to relieve spasm pain and also prevent bed sores. We have tried a regular double bed to enable Cameron to have the space he needs as a young adult. Though it gave us the area to move him over as effectively and quickly as possible, to minimize waking time, it did not have the profiling facility of a specialist bed as Cameron is unable to sit up unaided. As a family we also need the riser function of a specialist bed for dressing and shower time.” A sixth former at Lipson Co-operative Academy, Cameron is studying Business and Administration and getting good nights’ sleep with reduced pain would mean a more refreshed Cameron each morning and he would be better able to study!” Local statutory services were unable to fund the 1,958 required for the new bed, so the family approached Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children for help. Newlife is the UK’s largest charity funder of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness and has already provided practical support for 254 under-19s in Devon, at a cost of £390,724.
With demand on the charity’s services increasing, Newlife is looking to local people in Devon to help support disabled and terminally ill children in the county.
If you would like to help Cameron get the bed he needs so he can sleep in greater comfort, go to: www.newlifecharity.co.uk/devon and click on the Donate button next to his story. Cameron’s is one of eight families in Devon currently working with Newlife, with combined equipment needs in excess of £13,039.
Mum Jo added: “Cameron’s is a life-long condition so this equipment would help support his needs for several years to come.”
Pictured: Cameron Greenwood
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