A DESPERATE appeal has been launched to fund a specialist standing frame for a wheelchair-bound MS patient following the closure of a charity’s wellness centre.

Jay Denton has been unable to visit and use the state-of-the-art equipment at MS-UK’s Josephs Court, in Hythe Quay, for six months due to coronavirus restrictions.

And the charity has now announced the wellness centre will not be reopening due to the financial hit it has taken during the crisis.

This has left Jay, and many others like her, not knowing where to turn for specialist support for her degenerative condition.

Friend and supporter Helen Yates has set up a fundraising page in a bid to raise £6,100 in order to purchase a standing frame for Jay to have at her St John’s home.

Ms Yates said: “Due to the pandemic, the facility where Jay spent three sessions a week is closing down.

“This piece of equipment is no longer available to her. Without it her MS will continue to further disable her and I cannot sit back and let that happen.

“Please donate to support this inspirational woman whom I’ve known for over 20 years. She deserves whatever support we are able to offer.”

Jay, who was first diagnosed with MS in 2001, eight years after her first episode, said having a standing frame at home would be life-changing.

The 51-year-old said: “For six months now I have not been able to stand up and it has meant I have pretty much lost the ability to weight bear.

“I cannot stand to get dressed or anything like that and I cannot transfer myself to my bed. I have to use a hoist, which I have anyway for when I am having bad days, but at the moment every day is a bad day.

“I am hopeful because I have only lost the ability in the last six months when I get back to standing again I will be slowly able to get back to it.

“Standing up has a really positive impact on my health as it helps with my digestion and means my organs are in the right position.

“It would also be amazing for my mental health to get some independence back.

“I am a stubborn person and I do not want help with everything, I want to do things by myself. I am losing the ability to do that slowly, but I am fighting every step of the way.”

To donate to the appeal, visit gofundme.com/f/standing-frame-desperately-needed.