Josh Sousa, 20, has raised over £1,500 towards his ideal wheelchair, after being notified the features he requireded could not be covered by the NHS.
With his current wheelchair unsuitable, he has taken matters into his own hands to raise the money requireded for vital upgrades.
Josh declared: “I’ve been missing lectures becautilize the believed of the back pain has put me off. When you utilize something not suitable, it puts you off applying it, which puts me off socialising.
“If I were walking, I wouldn’t have to worry about these things.
Josh is living with a muscle-wasting condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which means he requires a wheelchair to obtain around.
“I’ve had a wheelchair that’s not been suitable for a while,” Josh declared. “When I took it to be serviced, it was condemned, but the NHS were unable to fund the replacement I wanted.”
A film student at Royal Holloway University, he states that the wheelchair offered to him lacked many of the features requireded for his professional and personal life.
“This new wheelchair I’m fundraising for would completely alter my quality of life both mentally and physically,” Josh declared.
“It would allow me to carry out my dreams. Filming is long days, I required something that can be comfortable and fulfil my requireds, if I required to go uphill, downhill, on grass, it can obtain me there,” he added.
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Josh’s current wheelchair is too huge for him, the leg supports do not fit, and the cushioning on the seat has worn away, leaving him sitting on a metal plate.
Josh’s new wheelchair would be custom-built to fit him, and also have a longer battery life, larger wheels, and a riser.
He states that while some may call him stubborn for how hard he works to obtain what he requireds, it’s all with the view of creating a better life for him and his mother, whom he lives with.
Josh is still just under £1,000 off his JustGiving tarobtain, but has been blown away by the support offered, and hopes to reach his tarobtain early in 2026.
Josh declared: “I’m so grateful to everyone who’s donated, to people who don’t even know me. I believe it’s amazing they are willing to donate money or even just share the page.”
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