Empowered Eben gets going with F1-inspired powerchair from Recare

Eben is a happy boy always loving being at the centre of everything. He's doing well at school and has lots of friends with a busy social life. He plays powerchair football at weekends for Leeds Hurricanes which he loves. As a full-time wheelchair user, Eben and his family felt his basic NHS electric wheelchair was holding him back. With a better specification, offroad powerchair he could do much more as it would give him greater independence and the ability to access places and spaces that weren't reachable before.  They all decided earlier this year to begin researching better powerchairs and discovered the GTE from the manufacturer Trekinetic. This pioneering, F1-inspired design is supplied by the retailer Recare, which is currently Trekinetic's 'Dealer of the Year.' 

Rory, Eben's dad, starts their story: "Eben needed more overall flexibility with his wheelchair however one of the activities we were really struggling with was holidays. We would take his NHS electric wheelchair in our Motability Transporter WAV (wheelchair accessible vehicle) however it was never the best experience for him. We wanted a powered wheelchair that we could take apart and fit in the boot of our standard car. So, we decided to start looking for something more transportable and capable of going off road, such as down country lanes or on the beach. We researched online and went to Naidex to see what was out there.

"We saw a Trekinetic on the Recare exhibition stand and thought it would be ideal for Eben as it was stable with big wheels. However these are adult wheelchairs and we didn't know whether it could be adapted for a six-year-old. Following the show we reached out to Recare and Richard the business owner came to assess Eben at home. He was brilliant, he showed us all the options and worked out a way of adapting the seating to fit Eben. I know Richard is a busy guy working all over the country, but we never felt rushed into making a decision. He never tried to sell us anything, it was only ever a consultation. So, we decided to go with Recare. Anna in their office was also superb all the way through as she communicated so clearly and ensured we got what we needed."

"In addition, on the product handover, Richard was incredible. He was so accommodating. As Eben misses a lot of lessons, we asked Richard if he could present the wheelchair at his school so we didn't need to take him out for half a day. Richard did to Eben's and our delight. We all think his wheelchair and Recare are absolutely awesome."

Eben has owned his Trekinetic for only a month and it has already improved his life immeasurably. Rory continues: "Eben’s always been a kid that likes to be out and about but now his Trekinetic means he can go and do extra things that he couldn't do before. One recent example of this was we took him to Yorkshire Wildlife Park to see the winter illuminations. We go every year and it is a very accessible place, but Eben can now go further across grass and slopes he couldn't access before. And it was raining so muddy but that was no problem with the drive his powered wheelchair has got. The big wheels meant he didn't get stuck or have problems having to dodge puddles. We all had a great time together."

"It's giving us more opportunities to do things as a family; as a unit – it's more transportable and it's off-road. We believe there isn't anything out there that is better in terms of innovation. Eben's mates at his powerchair football team, the Leeds Hurricanes, are all in awe of it as it looks so cool. A couple of his friends have Triride handbikes for their wheelchairs but think Eben's Trekinetic is incredible for a powerchair." 

As the Naylors move forward and Eben excels in everything he does, the family are now planning more holidays in the VW Transporter Van. Rory finishes by saying: "We will be doing more touring across Europe now we can take Eben's powerchair. We'll be going back to Spain on the ferry and I won't have to carry him on the beach when we get there this time. In summary we see Eben's powerchair as 'mean and lean'. When he's out and about he can go for it with the camber of the wheels keeping him stable, so going 'mean' and when we're transporting it, it can go 'lean' as the wheels come off. That's why we call it 'The BMX Beast!'"

To donate to Eben, visit his family's fundraising page 'A wish for Eben'.