Threat to Mitchell's wheelchair over

Mitchell Fels, who relies on his wheelchair, has now learned he can keep it. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Mitchell Fels, who is severely disabled, was told last Tuesday he would "possibly" have to give up his new wheelchair, worth $30,000.

The chair was far more advanced than his old one, helping him to cope with the progressive muscle-wasting caused by his condition, Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

But on Friday, after the Herald began investigating his case, the family received a call from Accessable, the company that handles Health Ministry funding for wheelchairs in the upper North Island. They were told Mitchell, 16, could keep the chair, contrary to the Tuesday fax from the Auckland District Health Board assessment service, which had initially co-ordinated its provision "on trial" in July.

Mitchell's mother, Jan Fels, said yesterday she had no doubt the decision was reversed because of the paper's involvement, but Accessable's general manager, Sue Smith, said the decision was made before the paper contacted the company.

Mitchell cannot support any weight on his legs, has been confined to a wheelchair since he was 8, and has had rods implanted in his back to stop him from slumping forward. People with his condition usually do not live beyond their late 20s.

He studies at Waitakere College, socialises with his friends, and loves his new chair.

Because its leg section lifts, his severe leg cramps have greatly diminished and because the back reclines, he can lie down to relieve the pressure from sitting in a fixed position. Mitchell grins as he pushes the lever to raise the chair to its full height, which he said enabled him to talk to people on their level, rather than have them look down on him.

He gets good use out of his chair, especially on the quiet street outside his home in Swanson, west Auckland. "I'm out on the street every day; I hang out with my neighbours."

The Muscular Dystrophy Association's northern branch manager, Denise Ganley, said the decision last Tuesday to possibly take back Mitchell's new chair appeared to be linked to the tightening up of ministry funding for equipment for the disabled.