Nix needs a new set of wheels

NICOLE Fynn is no ordinary woman.

After an horrific motorcycle accident almost claimed her life 14 years ago, doctors advised Nicole’s parents to prepare for the worst as her odds of survival were not good and if she did somehow survive, she would be reliant on a ventilator to keep her alive. Nicole, however, defied those odds and pulled through.

Despite her miraculous survival, her family was then advised that she would never regain the ability to move any part of her body and that she would be paralysed permanently from the neck down. Nicole wasn’t having any of that either.

Through sheer will and determination, Nicole Fynn, who is now 36-years-old, has regained the use of her arms.

YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ:

https://vryheidherald.co.za/60287/paddadam-market-day-what-a-wonderful-day-it-was-2/

“She types WhatsApp messages faster than I do,” states loving husband of eight and a half years, Damien Fynn. “She can eat on her own as well, and she can definitely hold her own wine glass adeptly,” he adds jokingly.

“We met after her accident,” says Damien, “and have stuck together through thick and thin…”

The Fynns recently set up a fundraising campaign on ‘gofundme.com’ after a wheel broke suddenly on Nicole’s wheelchair on a recent trip to town, leaving her with scrapes and bruises after the fall. “She quite literally hit the road hard,” says Damien.

“Nix and I live on a farm in Vryheid, where we are trying to make ends meet but her monthly costs are high and now she really needs a new wheelchair,” writes Damien on their gofundme page. “During a visit to town on June 9, Nix was on her own, leaving physio and going to a shop when her wheel broke off her wheelchair and she quite literally, hit the road hard! Without exaggeration, she was lucky not to be run over – Nix ended up lying half on the road and half on the pavement. Two good Samaritan drivers stopped their vehicles to help her. Nix was lucky to get away with the scrapes and bruises because she has had serious, ongoing problems with her hips for which she has had many ops in the past. That fall could have seen her back in hospital for another six months or longer.”

ALSO READ:

https://vryheidherald.co.za/57286/resident-calls-for-traffic-official-to-be-considerate-to-the-disabled/

“Nix has undergone so many operations that I’ve lost count,” he adds, “had a gazillion physiotherapy sessions, but the reason why I am writing to you, is not to tell you how dreadful things have been for her but rather to share how she has championed her way back to being one of the most able and well-adapted, beautiful human beings I, and many, many others, have ever met and been deeply inspired by.”

“I would loathe to see Nix hurt, stuck inside and not being able to enjoy the life she has built or having her spirit restricted because she can’t move around independently. So I am asking for your help please! She’s worked too hard and achieved so much to risk going backwards on any level. Please, please help Nicole get a new set of wheels!”

Despite the circumstances, Nicole’s fighting spirit and positive attitude to these obstacles is indeed an inspiration as she goes about her daily tasks on the farm, somehow overlooking the difficulty in mobility now incurred by her damaged wheelchair, and spends as much time as possible caring for the animals, especially the sheep, whom she refers to affectionately as her “babies” with a warmhearted smile.

In order to maintain her quality of life, Nicole will need a wheelchair that is tough enough for farm life and reliable enough to avoid any further accidents or damage. Decent wheelchairs, however, do not come cheap and the Fynn’s are appealing to the public to help them raise funds by donating to their gofundme account and sharing this campaign on social media to raise awareness for Nicole’s plight.

“Any donation would be truly welcomed and appreciated,”adds Damien.

To contribute to the Nix’s Wheelchair Fund campaign, visit www.gofundme.com