A 12-year-old Northamptonshire boy who has no ability to sit, stand or walk needs a special chair to help him sit in safety and comfort when he visits his grandparent’s house for respite care.
Grady Stevenson has involuntary jerky movements in his arms and legs. He also has learning difficulties and is unable to do anything for himself, so his mum Lindsay Ingram and dad, Patrick Ingram meet all his care needs.
However, as mum has back problems and has already undergone two major heart surgeries, Grady’s grandparents Christine and Tony McGrady help out by looking after Grady at weekends – but the special chair he has at home to keep him supported and comfy is too bulky to transport from his Corby home.
This means Grady can only be placed on the floor which has been padded with pillows and duvets, but this doesn’t give him the essential support he needs and it’s difficult for his grandparents to lift him up and down now he is older.
In desperation the family turned to Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children, the UK’s largest charity provider of specialist equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness for help in funding the £2,856 seat.
Mum Lindsay said: “Grady can’t be put on the sofa as it isn’t safe for him – he would roll off – so the floor is the only option, but he can’t be left, even for a minute.
“With a special seat at their house it would mean Grady could be much more comfortable, not just when he goes for respite care, but when we go for a family visit with his eight-year-old sister, Willow, too. Most importantly he would be much safer and secure. It’s also good for his posture to be upright and he needs 24-hour postural care, so a seat at his grandparents would help him medically.
“The seat has a wheeled base so they wouldn’t have to keep lifting Grady up and down, he could go with them wherever they were, which is more interesting for him and gives him a different view of the world. He could easily be taken to a table to play and if they do need to pop somewhere for a minute or two, they could do so without him being at risk.”
With applications to Newlife up on last year, the charity is increasingly looking to ‘local heroes’ to help fund vital equipment for children with disabilities and terminal illness in their own counties. If you would like to help Grady, visit www.newlifecharity.co.uk/northamptonshire, read his story and click the ‘Donate Now’ button. Alternatively, contact the Newlife County Liaison Team on 01543 431 444, email local@newlifecharity.co.uk.
Newlife guarantees that 100 per cent of the money donated to help Grady will be used to fund his special seat. Any surplus funding will help provide equipment for other disabled children in the county as Grady is one of eight families in Northamptonshire currently working with the charity.
Newlife has already helped 169 children in the county receive equipment, spending £202,409. For full details of Newlife’s range of practical support for disabled and terminally ill children and their families, call the Newlife Nurse Helpline – 0800 902 0095 (free from UK landlines and mobiles) – or go to: https://newlifecharity.co.uk
Pictured: Grady Stevenson
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