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, an off-road powerchair, he could do much more. This would give him greater independence and the ability to access places and spaces that weren't previously reachable.  They all decided earlier this year to begin researching better powerchairs. In the search, they discovered the GTE from the manufacturer Trekinetic. This pioneering, F1-inspired design is supplied by the retailer Recare. The Trekinetic GTE powerchair quickly stood out as the best option. Currently, Recare is 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. For example, it should go down country lanes or on the beach. We researched online and attended Naidex to see what was available.

"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. Since Eben misses many lessons, we asked Richard if he could present the wheelchair at his school. That way, we didn't need to take him out for half a day. Richard did so to Eben's and our delight. We all think his wheelchair and Recare are absolutely awesome. The ability for Eben to use a Trekinetic GTE powerchair at school was an important milestone."

We call it 'The BMX Beast!'

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 very accessible. However, Eben can now go further across the 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 had to dodge puddles. We all had a great time together." Clearly, the Trekinetic GTE powerchair enables Eben to have more adventures in challenging environments.

"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 that 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!'" Using the Trekinetic GTE powerchair has given Eben more freedom during their travels.

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