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Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children (Newlife) is one of the UK鈥檚 largest charity funders of specialist disability equipment for children.聽 It also runs the UK鈥檚 only national emergency equipment service for terminally ill children.聽

Newlife can help children leave hospital and in some cases to spend their last few precious weeks or even days with their families by providing specialist beds, wheelchairs, buggies, seating and hoists in their homes.聽 It can also provide emergency loans for specialist equipment too.

Rhys from Sussex spent most of the first nine months of his life in hospital because of a genetic condition. He wasn鈥檛 allowed home until his parents could prove they could get him to and from medical appointments and for that they needed a costly specialist pushchair which statutory services couldn鈥檛 fund. So Newlife provided a buggy that holds Rhy鈥檚 ventilator, tracheostomy box, suction machine and manual resuscitator which means he no longer has to stay in hospital.

Teenager Dylan, from Hampshire, was born with a rare genetic condition and spent his life in and out of hospital. When his family were told he had just a year to live, a specialist bed and extra supportive wheelchair from Newlife meant he could spend the last few months of his life at home with his parents, in comfort.

The loan of a hi-tech wheelchair means five-year-old Grace from Lancashire can make the most of life. Grace, who has Cerebral Palsy, scoliosis and a brain condition, loves being outside exploring and now she is able to do more of that with the help of Newlife鈥檚 equipment. Mum Katrina said: 鈥淲e had a fabulous day out at the zoo and that would have been unthinkable before.鈥�