Lorna's story
Lorna has Cerebral Palsy, but that didn't stop her from getting involved in performing, theatre and dance from the age of six.
Choreography came out of a dare from a dancer friend who once said she thought it would be too much of a challenge for Lorna - so Lorna set off to prove her wrong!
She is now about to finish a Dance and Professional Practice degree course at Coventry University, and has even set up her own dance company - the Smooth Wheels Dance Company.
Lorna's powered wheelchair was vital in helping her achieve all this. Her old chair wasn't given her the freedom and support she needed, the battery kept going flat and Lorna's family could not afford to replace it, let alone buy a new chair. Lorna and her mum spent days on the phone and internet trying to find a charity who would help young people over the age of 18, until they found the AFK website.
I don't know what I would have done without AFK. The chair they helped me get is amazing. It can extend fully upright and tilt backwards, allowing more freedom of movement. The first thing I did when I got it was to give my mum a hug standing upright - it was the first time I'd been able to in over ten years! It's something simple, but so big!
The most important thing is that the chair allows me to dance, but also to take part in university life. Before, I was missing out on whole conversations, but now I can talk at a level with my friends and order drinks at the student union bar. It's great!
This chair will give me a whole lot of opportunities I don't even know about yet. I'll be able to see things and do things I haven't been able to before. I really want to make it in the dance world. You get moments of self-doubt, like everyone, when you think, 'Am I good enough?' - but I want this really badly!'
