William's Great Glass Elevator challenge aims to help Banbury boy with rare condition

A Banbury family has launched a fundraising campaign called 'William and his Great Glass Elevator' to help fund the creation of a safe and accessible home for their son who has an very rare condition which extremely limits his mobility.
Gareth and Rhiannon Birkett are askingfor the public's help in raising fundsto make adaptations to their home for their 5-year-old son WilliamGareth and Rhiannon Birkett are askingfor the public's help in raising fundsto make adaptations to their home for their 5-year-old son William
Gareth and Rhiannon Birkett are askingfor the public's help in raising fundsto make adaptations to their home for their 5-year-old son William

Gareth and Rhiannon Birkett are asking for the public's help in raising the funds to make the adaptations to their house for their 5-year-old son William

The house adaptations will enable the family to provide a lift to his bedroom, wet room and adaptations throughout with hoists and level access.

Gareth said: "William has an incredibly rare gene mutation. Due to this he has multiple complex disabilities. William has very low muscle tone and cannot stand or even sit unaided, which requires a lot of specialist equipment and wheelchairs. He cannot swallow so is fed through a gastrostomy pipe into his stomach. He has profound learning disabilities and is non verbal. He has multiple seizures a day.

Gareth and Rhiannon Birkett are askingfor the public's help in raising the fundsto make the adaptations to their house for their 5-year-old son WilliamGareth and Rhiannon Birkett are askingfor the public's help in raising the fundsto make the adaptations to their house for their 5-year-old son William
Gareth and Rhiannon Birkett are askingfor the public's help in raising the fundsto make the adaptations to their house for their 5-year-old son William

"Without these vital adaptations William's quality of life is vastly reduced, and it has a wider impact on us as a family especially now he has a younger sister.

"All of this comes at an expense, which unfortunately isn't fully covered by a disability funding grant, and our savings so we desperately need help and fast. We need to raise £20,000 to make up the deficit of the work.

"We are now fundraising with the wonderful support and guidance of Sullivan's Heroes. Sullivan’s Heroes is a charity offering support and financial assistance for families raising essential funds for vital home adaptations for a disabled child, to continue to care for their child at home, safely and with dignity."

The family have set up a fundraising Just Giving web page, which is linked through the 'William and his Great Glass Elevator' campaign page here: https://www.sullivansheroes.org/projects/william-and-his-great-glass-elevator/

While the elevator the family seeks for their home is not glass the Gareth said: "It's just the standard social needs floor lift. We just liked the play on words as we both really like Roald Dahl.

"Through all this William manages to show us his incredible character and personality in any way that he can. Those moments are priceless to us as a family.

"William loves to be outside and makes this known by singing a unique mix of squeals and squarks and occasional clicks from his tongue. We try to get him out for walks (and runs although he is getting very big on the hills) and let him experience as much rich sensory world that outside space has to offer."

"He is getting bigger all the time, and we now struggle to move him about without hoisting and especially with the stairs and washing. We need large adaptations to his home so we can live and care for him in a safe and comfortable environment for hopefully many years to come.

"Until now, COVID-19 has meant we have been unable to go ahead with any fundraising events which has meant we have been reliant on online donations.

"Now lockdown restrictions are easing I have entered an extreme 50 mile Ultra Marathon, described as the hardest footrace in the south west. I am sure it will be brutal and unbelievably hard, but I am choosing to do this because what William faces is harder everyday, and he doesn’t get that choice. He also complains less about it!

"We are desperate now, we need help and support to make these changes, William desperately needs it."

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