Miracle girl Nusaybah gets chance to play with new wheelchair

She’s had five major operations since she was born just three years ago and has physiotherapy six times a day.

At birth, Nusaybah Riaz from Birmingham was diagnosed with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, which affect her mobility and mean she cannot move around freely on her own.

Yet she loves to make the most of life and enjoys watching cartoons, painting and playing.

Her mum, Amera, wanted her to attend nursery and independently join in with other children - as well as enjoy family time with her siblings and cousins.

She had a wheelchair, but that didn’t enable her to do that. It was too heavy and bulky, meaning she could not push herself and had no independence while out or when visiting friends and family.

But now she is attending nursery - and no longer needs to crawl on the floor to move around independently thanks to getting a new lightweight wheelchair from Whizz-Kids, a learning national charity for young wheelchair users and their families.

Nusaybah is one of 75,000 young people in the UK that need a wheelchair to be mobile.

How did Nusaybah get to receive the wheelchair from Whizz Kidz?

Amera researched many different chairs and knew that the right one needed to be lightweight and compact so that Nusaybah could control it and self-propel herself, giving her the independence to be active and play without relying on anyone else.

In January 2021, Amera got in touch with Whizz-Kidz after receiving a recommendation about the charity from another mum. Nusaybah was assessed for her needs and got to test different wheelchairs before receiving the bespoke wheelchair she has now. This new lightweight  wheelchair allows Nusaybah to be active and express herself more fully.

Attending nursery was an essential step before starting primary school so Nusaybah could socialise with other children, enjoy the activities that other children her age do and prepare her for primary school. The other option available would have been to go from being with a child-minder straight into primary school, which Amera knew would have been very intimidating.

What has Nusaybah’s mum said about her Whizz-Kidz wheelchair?

Amera said:“We are truly grateful to Whizz-Kidz for the wheelchair that Nusaybah has. Seeing her doing 360 degrees round and round bought it home just how happy she is with her chair and the independence it has given her.

“Nusaybah is now able to move from room to room at home, she can open drawers and get things that she wants instead of asking me for them. When she visits family, she can get around and enjoy time with her big brother and sister and all her cousins. They are also looking forward to taking her out when she is a little older.”

What has Whizz Kidz said about Nusaybah’s wheelchair?

Sarah Pugh, Chief Executive of Whizz-Kidz said:“Too many young people like Nusaybah aren’t getting the wheelchair or support that fully meets their needs. Without the ability to be independent young wheelchair users are restricted in their chances to socialise and participate with friends, family and society. We’re here to change that.

“With our new strategy we want to double the number of young wheelchair users who receive high quality wheelchairs and equipment support whilst also increasing the number of young people that benefit from our programmes, experiences and skills training. We aren’t stopping there - we will also work with young wheelchair users to build a more inclusive society.”

To find out more about Whizz-Kidz andthe ‘Empowering Young Wheelchair Users 2022-24’ strategy go to: Whizz Kidz

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