Help Brendan and Julia maintain their Independence with a wheelchair van

We have a unique and awesome couple in the Hawkes Bay with a real need and I want you to know about them.

The thing is, you are not likely to see them out and about or meet them and here is why.

Brendan and Julia met in 2006 whilst Brendan was a student at EIT through a tutor that introduced them. After a little apprehension and bunch of text messages, they agreed to meet and Julia cooked dinner. They found they had some common interests and ended up talking until they fell asleep on a tiny two seater sofa at Julia’s and woke up horribly uncomfortable! Brendan says they are still technically on their first date as they haven’t really been apart since. Ten years and still on a first date so beat that they say! A lot has happened since then. Brendan has Becker Muscular Dystrophy and Julia has MS. Julia was diagnosed with breast cancer only six months after their wedding and spent the next year having surgery, chemo, and radiotherapy. She lost her hair and suffered a great deal but she is fighter and has been clear of the cancer for all this time. Over the years they have both lost mobility and Julia is now in a power chair, while Brendan uses a manual one and he still works five days a week. Since the power chair had to become part of their lives Brendan and Julia can’t go out anywhere together as Brendan’s current vehicle cannot carry it. He is finding it more difficult even for himself getting to work with his old van too now. It really gets him down at times that they can’t go out together as husband and wife to grab a pizza, go to an event, or even end of year work dinners. They don’t want to continue to use Taxi buses for when they just have to get out of the house. Brendan says “it is totally unromantic and too expensive, but mainly there is no privacy for us to talk or just be a married couple, and it feels like having a chaperone”. Brendan and Julia deserve to be able to get out and do the things married couples do in the community and we want to help them do it! We want to ask every married couple in the Hawkes Bay to give a dollar – and if this happens they will be able to buy a mobility van that will take both their chairs and enable them to be out and about enjoying life more. I would like to ask that every couple in the area think about the things you take for granted, like popping out for fish and chips, or being able to go watch the fountain in Napier at night, or just going to a movie together. Brendan and Julia haven’t been able to do these things for years, but with your help they could. Please give a dollar to help Brendan and Julia live their lives as a couple to the fullest and imagine the joy of seeing them out together for tea and knowing you helped to make it all possible. Brendan and Julia are a delightful couple and a joy to meet, let’s help them meet more of the Hawkes Bay community!