Wendy's Story
Wendy Passfield was just 32 years old when she lost both her legs after contracting an infection in hospital. Since then, she’s had 100 surgeries as she continues to battle the infection, which is resistant to antibiotics.
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The mother-of-two is the first to admit that she hit rock bottom:
“I was taking so many painkillers I couldn’t get out of bed. I couldn’t put a sentence together; I couldn’t do anything.”
Three years ago, Wendy made the brave decision to participate in an Equal Ops program at Sporting Wheelies and she hasn’t looked back since.
“I found the way out of that deep dark hole and that was through Sporting Wheelies. I was at a crossroads, I’d given up. If I didn’t find Sporting Wheelies, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Sporting Wheelies provides the sports chairs that are needed to anyone who comes along, allowing participants to try it out, test their skills and see what they most enjoy. Wendy is now one of Sporting Wheelies' "Gamechangers" ; visiting schools to share her story and educating students about disability by giving them the chance to try inclusive sports for themselves.
Wendy is focused on ensuring everyone who comes through the doors has access to a sports chair to give it a go. She says there are always more needed, while some of the older models are due for replacement.
A basic sports wheelchair can cost $7,000, and we urgently need $70,000 for 10 sports wheelchairs to continue delivering our programs.
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Wendy says “We need to have the chairs and equipment there to build our programs to make sure that when a little kid wants to start, that they have a chair they can start in,” she says.
$50
Will buy basketballs for training
Our basketballs are used extensively for training and our programs, they need constant replacement to ensure we are have enough to give people fundamental training in the game.
$150
Will replace a set of pushrims
Affixed to the drive wheels are the push
rims, these are used to apply force to move the chair. They need regular replacement so the chair can function properly.
$500
Will replace a set of wheels
The high velocity games of wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby mean that wheels on our chairs wear quickly and require regular replacement.
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Donate today to provide life-changing equipment for people with disabilities.
Shortly after joining a program at Sporting Wheelies, Wendy was encouraged to try wheelchair basketball, and it was there she found a whole new lease on life.
“Basketball is where I met my tribe. We all understand each other and it’s all about having fun with people that don’t say they get it, they really get it,” she said.
“That’s opened up so many worlds from that.”
Wendy volunteers as a coach and teaches wheelchair basketball for all ages from six-years-old, all the way up to 70.
This year, she was selected to be part of the women’s National Wheelchair Basketball League, playing for the Queensland Comets.
“My whole drive for doing it was showing the kids we coach that if I can make a national league team at 48 years old, then there’s nothing stopping any of them.”
Wendy’s role at Sporting Wheelies also expanded to becoming a Game Changer; visiting schools to share her story and educating students about disability by giving them the chance to try inclusive sports for themselves.
“If you had told me three years ago that any of these things were going to happen, I would have laughed at you,” she says.
“Sport can do so much for someone with a disability."
A big thank you to our Supporters
Thankyou for helping people like Wendy take the next steps towards reclaiming their lives.
Your support changes lives.
