The arrival of a specially adapted wheelchair will transform the life of a four-year-old girl with Down’s Syndrome thanks to kind donors.

Kelsey-Rose Punyer, four, was delighted when the wheelchair arrived at her Birdwood Avenue home.

Back in May, parents Joanne and Kevin appealed in our sister paper The Mercury for the £5,575 needed for the wheelchair made by Veldink4kids and an anonymous donor came forward just weeks later.

Mrs Punyer, 46, said: “We were on a high when it arrived. She absolutely loves it. She has even tried to use it on her own already. That’s what we want for her.

“It will change her everyday life. We’re going to teach her how to use the wheelchair. The plan for her is to be independent in the chair as we go out and she goes to school.

“It’s a lifesaver for her really.”

The wheelchair also benefits from having a tray for food.

Kelsey, who has Down’s syndrome, is partially deaf and fed via a tube. She can’t eat solids yet but the family is hopeful the tray will help her learn and then she can eat at the table with the rest of the family.

Kelsey has two older brothers who live away and she is very close to her other brother Harley-John, six.

Mrs Punyer said: “We took her to the carnival and she was having an absolute field day. She’s a happy little girl anyway but she was so happy.

“I didn’t expect it this quickly. It was a bit of a shock. The
gentleman who donated the money, he was so generous, I can’t thank him enough. He’s my daughter’s lifesaver.”

She has also thanked the Mercury and all those who donated to the family’s fundraising page.

Kelsey is due to start school at Whitfield and Aspen Primary in September so the mobility aid’s delivery is timely.

Mrs Punyer, who is also Kelsey’s full-time carer, said it will lighten the load for her. She suffers from arthritis in her back and struggles to bend down with the old chair.

The new chair also tilts back so the four-year-old can sleep comfortably if she needs to.

The youngster’s start in life has not been easy: she spent the first nine months in and out
of hospital undergoing various operations.

She has also suffered blood poisoning from the tube that fed her, and nearly died of septicaemia during her earlier years.

But now the family is certain this wheelchair will give her the independence she needs.