AFK – Action for Kids

There are thousands of disabled children and young people around the UK in urgent need of
specialist mobility equipment. This includes manual, powered and sports wheelchairs, trikes,
buggies and car seats, all recommended by the NHS, but unfortunately not funded by them.
With the support of GamesAid members AFK can fund this vital mobility equipment to
improve physical and mental health, relieve pain, improve strength and coordination and
enable independence.
Thanks to a previous extremely generous GamesAid donation we were able to help Alfie,
who is 5. He has hydrocephalus and can’t walk or stand unaided so is a full-time wheelchair
user. He has a malfunctioning bladder and bowel, attends multiple hospital appointments
every month and he relies on his mum to support him in all aspects of his daily life.  He loves
school and friends, the countryside, Mario and Luigi, watching wheelchair basketball, and
most of all superheroes!

His paediatric occupational therapist recommended a lightweight Little Wave Clik wheelchair
so Alfie could self-propel and improve his independence. Customised seating, headrest and
footplates were added to enhance his posture and comfort. This chair has an off-road
attachment too which would allow Alfie to participate in family activities such as dog walks
and visits to country parks with rough terrain. An anti-tip device is included on this
wheelchair which would support Alfie’s safety when self-propelling, especially as Alfie is
motivated to pursue wheelchair sports and enjoys using his wheelchair to race and play with
friends in the playground. She told us this was the prefect chair but sadly NHS wheelchair
services don’t fund them and at a cost of £5820 with the modifications (including this really
special little boy’s favourite Avengers carbon black finish), it was completely out of the
question for his family to purchase.

That’s where AFK and GamesAid came in and Alfie got his chair!
His mum got in touch when it was delivered and told us:
"Alfie loves it, he immediately got in and was whizzing around. A massive big thank
you to everyone involved. I can already tell this wheelchair is going to be life
changing for him. He has a cold at the moment and insisted that wearing his Black
Panther outfit makes him feel better!)”

This wheelchair provides Alfie with independence, choice, socialisation and importantly
access to education and family activities. It improves the quality of life, his wellbeing and
benefits his whole family. Being selected as a GamesAid charity again will help us to help
more children like Alfie.