#motorbility

[jemmabrown]

In pain and freezing but so #happy I'm out walking Ollie (the dog) in my #invacarefox wheelchair without it I would be stuck inside thank you #invacare and #motorbility #independentwoman (at Weston Shore)

[schoolofcharmmentality-blog]

Imagine, if I had a car

Here, on my desk, I have a DLA form to fill out. For all of you that don't know, a DLA form is a Disability Living Allowance Form - it's a benefit from the bigs boys up the gov' for us people that could use an extra helping hand because of our disability. The benefit comes in a variety of forms depending on your disability; some people receive equipment for their home, some receive a monetary allowance, some receive a car/an adapted car and some receive all 3 (and maybe more), depending on what their disability is.

I've never before claimed DLA, or CA (carer's allowance for my mum) because a) my mum was too proud and we had a decent amount of money coming in when she could've claimed for carers help, b) the form is LONG and takes FOREVER (65 parts with a/b/c/d on top. It doesn't sound huge but seriously... LONG), c) the form expires if you don't fill it out within a certain time period and we never seemed to have the time.

Now that I'm having to potentially go into hospital every 4-6 weeks, have oxygen tanks built in in my homes at home AND uni and have tube feeds and blood tests and port flushes more often, on top of the fact that at any given time I may have to drive 200 miles for a lung transplant, the doctors have said that now would be a good time to definitely apply for the allowance. It'll be there to help with my food shopping costs (as I need to eat more calories than your average person) and to help with transportation. So. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I qualify for high rate mobility, which would mean I could get a car.

Some people that don't know how ill I was before hospital wouldn't necessarily  appreciate how much it would've helped at the time. Also, most people would link a disability car to someone wheelchair bound; this is not how it works! Anyone who suffers from mobility issues, be that a back problem, a joint problem, or someone who just needs to be at hospital on a regular basis may qualify. Before I went into hospital I couldn't walk 100 metres at any great speed and would have to stop to cough, drink and maybe have my inhaler. Doesn't sound like too much of a big deal until you have to walk from one side of Leicester to the other to catch a bus to the hospital when your mother is away and you don't have the cash for a taxi. The journey, which could take me an hour (because buses are shit) took me over 3. I was late. Thankfully my team are flexible with appointments.

So, I've been having a cheeky look at cars. I know I shouldn't get my hopes up but I think I'll qualify for some 'motorbility' benefit, so it's good to know what's out there. A selection of cars are available on the scheme - all brand new and developed to your specification. The only thing I might need in the car is somewhere to hold a small oxygen canister and a wheelchair holder if my lungs get bad - other than that I'm pretty much open to choosing. All come with full finance cover (taxed, insured, breakdown, MOT, servicing, etc) as part of the package, and some come with no personal pay out at all, which means the money from my motorbility would go straight to the car company. Some cars require an upfront prepayment, but they're for the better cars, and extra accessories that aren't part of the package are also to be paid for. But still. Awesome? If I managed to receive the disability payment I could have a new car every 3 years. How exciting is that?

A lot of CFs that claim disability benefits get slated, because 'we look normal'. And that is something I actually really don't like about CF. Most of the time you can't see what's going on inside our bodies, and how they're being destroyed. I currently have around 40% lung function. I have less than a lung to breathe with in theory, and this is me on a good day! So the people that say we aren't entitled have no idea, frankly. There are few benefits to a condition such as this, but if I can find one, I will make good use of it. I missed out on the 'Make A Wish' thing as a kid as no one made a wish for me (don't worry, I'm not bitter ;) hahaha), and that's something nice to counteract something not so nice. Instead I'm older, and I have a chance to improve my existing years. So DLA, here I come (fingers crossed).