Witham mum thanks donors for raising funds for lifeline wheelchair

Jessica Taylor-Bearman, from Witham, has been chronically ill for more than 15 years.

The 30-year-old suffers from myalgic encephalomyelitis, which causes her to suffer from sever exhaustion, chronic pain, nausea, sickness, and migraines.

Jessica said her life changed when she was able to build up enough strength to sit in wheelchair.

She said: “At my worst I was in hospital for four years, unable to eat, speak or move for myself.

"I was bed-bound for 12 years and I lived in a world of one room that I could not leave.

“The wheelchair gave me an independence that I had not had for the whole of my adult life.

"It enabled me to make memories with my husband and little daughter. "

OVERWHELMED: Jessica with her daughter Felicity

But on the evening on her 30th birthday in March, Jessica was going through the town centre when the wheelchair began to malfunction.

She said: “Being without my power wheelchair felt like I had lost a part of my body, a part of my freedom.

"I was stuck inside and my pain levels had trebled.

“I couldn’t afford a new power wheelchair and didn’t know what I was going to do."

Husband Samuel came up with the idea to launch a GoFundMe page to raise the money to pay for a new wheelchair.

In just 14 hours, the target of £2,750 had been raised and Jessica can now get the wheelchair she needs.

She said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has donated to my wheelchair fund. It has been completely overwhelming to see the incredible support everyone has given me.

“I’ve also been made aware of so many other chronic illness sufferers in a similar position to me and not being able to get the help they need – awareness is needed.”

Earlier this year Jessica published her second book A Girl in One Room documenting her experience with ME.