[A WAVe meaning a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle, you'll see why he sadly needs one by reading on...]

Many of you know John Morris. He is a well-loved and greatly respected member of the Isle of Man community, especially the construction community.

Some of you may not be aware of the extent of his health struggles over the last few years. Without getting into details, he has had chronic (and very serious) complications following a knee replacement procedure back in 2015. This included some episodes of sepsis which were very nearly the end of him. He has endured years of severe pain, and numerous operations none of which have successfully addressed the underlying problems.

His mobility, which was impacted to start with, has deteriorated to the point where he is barely able to move due to severe pain, and he is effectively wheelchair bound. 

He has now undergone an above knee amputation of his right leg and due to the deterioration of the quality of remaining bone, he may not even be able to have a prosthesis. He will likely be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life, a huge blow for a man who was incredibly fit in his younger days. Dont forget this is a man who has climbed Himalayan mountains (literally) and ran all the way round the Isle of Man on one occasion, then did it again "just for fun"!!

Many of you will recall just how much John loved to socialise, get out and about and chat to people.

Sadly, at this time, he struggles to do any of those things.

In fact, he can barely mobilise to the front door of his house. He has no way of transferring into a standard vehicle due to his mobility issues. Thus, he is stuck in the house day after day, physical pain his constant companion, to say nothing of the toll his plight has taken on his mental health.

This GiveSendGo appeal is to raise funds for a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV). This would give John the freedom to be able to get out of the house much more easily and without excessive pain, as he will be able to remain in his wheelchair and be pushed/winched up a ramp into the back of the specially adapted vehicle.

His building business and finances have been massively impacted by all of this, having been unable to work for many years since the initial knee replacement. The business has had to fold as a result, leaving him in a financially precarious state.

A basic preowned vehicle of this type can be obtained for approx £10 - 15,000.
(For reference, a brand new wheelchair accessible vehicle starts around £30,000 and upwards.)

£15,000 seems a small price to pay for the opportunity to give John back a degree of mobility and freedom. This breaks down to around 750 people giving £20 each, or 300 people giving £50 each. 
Maybe an owner of a builders suppliers could give more, or a building company have a whip round from employees for a larger gift..?

PLEASE consider giving £20 to £50 for a WAV for John. This will mean he can have a trip out in the better weather, have an ice-cream at the beach, visit the garden centre to choose seeds to plant and be able to enjoy the simple day to day pleasures that the rest of us take for granted. 

I know that many of you will remember John for his broad grin, his cheery demeanour and his generosity. He would do anything for anybody. Although he tries to put on a brave front, we haven't seen so much of his smile of late.

Help put a smile back on John's face, and lets contribute to give back to the man who has so often helped others in THEIR time of need. Now is JOHN'S time of need, so please DONATE NOW, no amount is too small. Every penny is gratefully received.

With thanks from the bottom of John's heart, and his family and many friends.