A mum-of-two who was left paralysed following brain surgery has her independence back thanks to a “trendy” wheelchair.
Jenna McKernan, 40, from Bishopton, was a primary school teacher for 17 years until a cancer diagnosis in 2016.
Following a brain operation, Jenna became paralysed down her right-hand side and needed to be pushed in a wheelchair.
Today, she continues with secondary cancer treatment and has worked hard to regain some walking ability with a frame.
But she needs a wheelchair most of the time and, as she can’t self-propel, her situation was becoming very frustrating.
Jenna didn’t want a powered wheelchair as she had only ever seen “old-fashioned designs”, so she started looking for a mobility scooter – and discovered the WHILL Model C powerchair from TGA.
Jenna, who lives with her firefighter husband Chris and two young children, describes herself as “positive with a glass that’s always half full’.
After few years of being pushed in a wheelchair, coupled with the restrictions of lockdown, Jenna decided it was time to regain her freedom.
She said: “With shielding coming to an end, this was the time for a new lease of life, I thought.
“It was when my husband was pushing me in the supermarket and I kept asking him to turn me around, it dawned on me it was time for change.
“He kept rolling his eyes, so I said ‘Right’, I’m going to get my independence back.’”
An internet search for ‘trendy mobility scooter’ led her to the TGA Mobility website.
“They had published a story about one of their customers who was a similar age to me, who had chosen their Minimo as it looked good.
“He was seen as ‘trendy’ by his kids, so I phoned TGA to arrange a home demonstration,” she explained.
A phone call, a home demo of the Minimo model and a spin round her back garden was all she needed.
Because she needed more support, she opted for the WHILL model instead, saying: “Well, it was brilliant.
“I loved the way it moved and glided around. I could spin it on the spot.
“The independence this could give me, like going to the woods on my own with the kids, got me buzzing.
“My neighbours came to our garden gate to watch, they too said it looked fantastic.”
Now a few weeks into ownership, Jenna is enjoying life outdoors without feeling self-conscious.
She said: “I feel when using the WHILL people see more of me and less of the chair.
“I thought I would need to build up my confidence to go out again on my own or with the kids, but I’m finding with the WHILL I already have the confidence.
“I see people looking positively at my WHILL like they have never seen anything like it before.
“I can go out with my wee son and daughter and do not worry about struggling around the shops.
“The big plus is that I am not being pushed and can have a conversation side-by-side with them or my husband. Before, talking was so hard and I’d keep missing what Chris was saying, it was quite infuriating.”
In a bid to sopport other people, she has taken to social media and online forums to share her experience.
“Even if I can make a difference to just one person’s life, this will make me happy.
“I enjoy taking lots of photos for memories and will continue to be doing this in my WHILL to show the difference it has made. I am also keen to share my cancer treatment experiences to help others and to support the Make 2nds Count charity,” she told us.
A trip to Aberdeen is already under her belt now that covid travel restrictions have eased.
“We had an accessible room however the corridors were so narrow – without the WHILL I’d have struggled to get around, especially when the maid’s laundry trolley was in the way!
“I could zoom along the corridors and turn around in the lift without having to reverse – so easy.
“I am a very positive person and always believe my glass is half full.
“I live every day to the max as no one knows what’s around the corner. I still have secondary cancer and may need another op on my brain however I still believe in enjoying life and getting the most of it, now massively helped by my WHILL.”
