Max needs a new wheelchair (it will be lifechanging!)

Max Wymer was born with cerebral palsy. He is diagnosed as a "Spastic dystonic quadriplegic" which means he is affected in all parts of his body. Mentally however, he is a typical 11 year old boy with a kind heart and amazing sense of humour. One of five children in a single parent family, he wants (and needs) to be included in everything. When his current chair can't carry him somewhere, his mother needs to carry him (not always possible and growing more difficult all the time!). As his mum says however "Life isn't lived indoors, especially for an 11 year old boy - when his brothers and sisters and friends run outside to play he wants to go too".

Max attends a mainstream school, and is unable to participate in many of the activities and excursions due to his current chair being unable to cope with uneven terrain (the ministry of health only providing a chair with minimal power and suited to flat internal areas). Being unable to keep up with and go where his friends and siblings go is hard, and Max is becoming increasingly aware that it is difficult (or impossible) for his mother, school, or others to include him in things.

Being a typical boy, Max also loves sport and plays powerchair soccer with the Auckland Powerchair Soccer Association. Unfortunately, his current chair is the slowest chair in the whole organisation and as a result, he struggles to take part at present.

Max's mother has found a chair that would enable Max to take a much more independent and confident part in daily life and to do what he can't presently. As she says "As a mum I would love to see my son participating fully in his family and the community".

The cost for this life-changing item is only $15,000 but that's not within reach for a single parent family with 5 children. The family have however raised $2,000 themselves (now included in the money donated through this page), and another generous part have confirmed that they will donate $6,000 if all the other funds have been raised, meaning this Givealittle page now only needs to raise $9,000 in total.