Help Out For Jesse

Members of East Gosford Lions Club recently observed a young woman in the car park loading, with considerable difficulty, a wheelchair into a Ford wagon.  The Lions suggested a light-weight ramp might assist with loading.  However, in discussion with the lady, it was found that the woman’s 10-year-old son, Jesse, was profoundly disabled.  Jesse was born with a very rare syndrome called WOLF-HIRSCHHORN.  Jesse does not walk or talk or self-care in anyway and needs full assistance in every way to survive.

To further add to the distress of this family Ellie, the mother, has Multiple Sclerosis and she may one day also need to be in a wheelchair.  As Jesse gets older and heavier it is getting more challenging for Ellie to care for him.  Ellie’s 16-year-old daughter is the secondary carer and in time she may have to take on carer responsibility for her mother and brother.

With the difficulties of loading & unloading Jesse’s wheelchair, it is often impractical to unload and assemble it and Jesse is quite often not able to be properly supported when out of the vehicle.

Lions saw the urgent need for a wheelchair accessible vehicle to make life easier for Ellie in transporting Jesse to school, to doctors’ appointments and to improve the quality of life for Jesse and for the family.

With the assistance of several community organisations including Lions and Lioness Clubs, ‘Life without Barriers’, ‘4P for Aussie Kidz’,’Variety the Children’s Charity’, ‘Wheeling and Able’, Central Coast kids in Need’ and Kincumber Rotary Club $45,752 of the required $55,752 was raised.  The Lion NSW-ACT Public Health Care Foundation contribute a grant of $10,000 for the balance.

AN EXCITED MUM, ELLIE PUSHES AN EVEN MORE EXCITED JESSE UP THE RAMP INTO THE NEW VEHICLE FOR THE FIRST TIME.