A TEENAGER is hoping the public will support her fundraising campaign to buy a wheelchair which will help her leave the hospital she has been confined to for three years.

Antonia Payne-Cheney, from Eckington, near Pershore, has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), which affects body tissue, with gastrointestinal failure among many other complications.

Because of her illnesses, the 18-year-old has been a resident at several hospitals, and is currently at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, since suddenly becoming unwell in March 2012 — often unable to leave her room for days, and rarely leaving the hospital.

She is now trying to raise money to buy a wheelchair specifically designed for her condition that will allow her to get out and about in the hospital and in the community.

She said: “I need to be able to experience the outside world again, which has been totally inaccessible to me over the last three years.

“If I could do that it would enable me to extend my charity work and allow me to help other young disabled children.

“A new wheelchair would allow me to get into classrooms where I could explain to pupils that disabled children and young people, don’t always get the equipment they need."

During her hospitalisation, Miss Payne-Cheney has worked with Caudwell Children, the national charity that provides practical and emotional support to disabled children and their families, as well as providing training to the charity’s volunteers so they can support others with the condition.

She added: “The wheelchair would have a huge impact on my life and would give me back a little of the independence that I once enjoyed.

"The chair I require costs a staggering £29,648, which is way beyond the reach of most families, including my own.

“I’m hoping that my appeal, together with the fundraising support that I’m getting from Caudwell Children, will not only help me to secure the money that I need for my wheelchair, but will also highlight the financial needs of other children with disabilities."

Miss Payne-Cheney's mother, Victoria, who lives in the hospital with her daughter most of the time, said her daughter would benefit "physically and emotionally" from the wheelchair.

She said: “Before she became ill, Antonia was very active and physically fit, enjoying horse riding, competitive cheerleading and ballet. But during the three years that she’s been confined to hospital she’s had to focus her time on crafts, and using her laptop to educate herself through documentaries and other programmes."

To donate to Miss Payne-Cheney's campaign, visit www.justgiving.com/appeal4antonia.

You can also make a donation by texting ANTO88 £amount to 70070.