We’ve had a very busy Spring season here at Sullivan’s Heroes with a flurry of new applicants requiring support with their home adaptation projects – with just some of these being Myk, Ahmed, Oliver and Dolly.
'Myk’s accessible home project’ requires £15,000 above the Disabled Facilities Grant funding awarded, to create a ground floor bedroom and bathroom including a specialist bath for Myk, together with wheelchair access into and around the ground floor of his home.
Myk’s parents tell us:
“Myk is a 7 year old, bubbly and sociable boy, with an awesome sense of humour! Myk has quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy and he is a full-time wheelchair user. Myk would love to be able to have regular baths, to relax his muscles and to help with pain relief. He would love to be able to access the currently inaccessible kitchen, to bake and cook. Myk is due to have hip reconstruction surgery later this year and we would love for him to have a comfortable accessible bedroom, so that he can be as comfortable as possible during the recovery period. We are so grateful for any help!”
Whilst ‘Ahmed’s Big Build’ will create a ground floor bedroom, wheelchair accessible bathroom and provide additional living space to meet his needs as he gets older. A Disabled Facilities Grant and discretionary funding has been accessed through the council, but costs of the works leave a shortfall of £30,000 to meet the project costs.
Ahmed’s parents elaborate:
“Our son is 11 years old, he was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma at 14 months which is a rare cancer, due to this he lost his ability to walk. He requires a wheelchair for his mobility needs, as well as relying on us for some aspects of his activities of daily living (e.g. dressing, bathing, and so on). We want to adapt our home so that it is free from barriers to his independence as well as being a safe environment to fully participate in all aspects of his family life with his Mother, Father and younger sister. His get up and go attitude is restricted currently as our house doesn’t give him accessibility. He wants to have freedom to whiz around on his wheelchair at his leisure without having to bump into doors and walls. Meeting his physical needs will have a positive impact on his life – it will encourage him to take control and thrive.”
Meanwhile ‘Oliver’s forever home’ project will create a loft conversion, install a through floor lift, wet room and hi-lo bath, adapt the kitchen, together with building ramped wheelchair access to the garden to give Oliver more independent living, once the £20,000 shortfall has been raised to meet the project costs.
Oliver’s Mum tells us:
“In 2019 we were given the devastating news that Oli has a progressive life limiting neurological condition – Friedreich’s Ataxia. He is 14 years old. Sadly Oli’s condition has progressed to the point where we desperately need to make major adaptations to our home to keep Oli safe and provide him with aids to give Oliver the dignity and independence he so deserves. The cost of this is in excess of £100k. This is a cruel disease but making our home more accessible for Oliver to have a much better quality of life and independence is our mission.”
Last but not least of our new applicants, Dolly’s ‘Bathroom extension’ – for which her family are looking to raise £30,000 required above the grant funding awarded – will extend the family home to create a wetroom to meet Dolly’s needs and a through-floor lift for wheelchair access to her bedroom.
Dolly’s Mum tells us:
“Dolly is 10 years old and has quadriplegic cerebral palsy effecting all her limbs. She cannot walk or sit unaided and has very limited hand movement, making life very difficult and frustrating for her. Dolly's bedroom is currently on the first floor and so is the family bathroom making it very difficult carrying her up and downstairs for bed/baths and nappy changes. Meaning she doesn't regularly have access to her bedroom and her powerchair is downstairs so she cannot get around upstairs leaving her with no independence. We wish to have a lift in our home so Dolly can access upstairs in her powerchair and a bathroom for her as our current bathroom is too small to manoeuvre her making bath time so difficult. Dolly and I are sincerely grateful for any support as this would make a huge difference in the quality of Dolly's life and our life as a family.”
Other projects have been making great progress over the warmer spring months – with ‘Ella’s house adaptations’ nearing the finishing point with just some doorways to be completed on the double level adaptation; whilst Clodagh’s ‘Building works’ are really beginning to take shape for her new bedroom and wetroom extension.
‘Theo’s home adaptations’ are progressing well too – with additional recent support from Education Support and Teaching Staff Trust providing funding for plasterer Danny to commence his works; whilst Hospital Saturday Fund kindly pledged funds towards non-slip flooring for Theo’s newly created spaces.
The project for ‘Building Thomas a Future in Bromley Cross’ featured recently in Bolton News, as the family near their eagerly anticipated moving back home date.
Thomas’ Dad Ian tells us:
“Thomas is getting very big and heavy so these adaptations will revolutionise our family life and allow us to look after him safely and with dignity as he blossoms into becoming a young man.”
We end by congratulating and thanking our recent supporters who have generously raised funds for Sullivan’s Heroes through various activities. The intrepid Gordon Borer donned his running shoes to take on the 26.2-mile challenge of the Virtual London Marathon. Gordon ran all the way from Redhill to Wembley to watch his beloved Brighton & Hove Albion play Manchester United through to penalties in the FA Cup Semi-final – and raised a fantastic £653 along the way.
Whilst Mark Lucas also took on a marathon challenge of the Brighton Marathon – raising a fantastic £475 for ‘A Haven for Nathan’.
Our sincere thanks also to the congregation and committee of St. John’s the Evangelist church, Dormansland, for their generous donation to Sullivan’s Heroes of £595, raised during recent Church Services.
Please do get in touch if you have any fundraising events, activities and ideas you’d like to share with us; or if you would like to apply for a grant or to fundraise through Sullivan’s Heroes.
Thank you for your ongoing support, it is greatly appreciated.
