Paul Southall: Please help fund my new wheelchair for playing wheelchair basketball

My name is Paul Southall and I live in Cheshire. I am deaf and use speech and BSL. My wife of ten years is also deaf and use BSL. I have four beautiful children, one of them is deaf and another has epilepsy related learning difficulties. My eldest Joshua is a young carer with many responsibilities in helping within the family mainly with communications.

As well as my Deafness, I have another disability with my legs. It started with a knee injury which I had an operation that went wrong. The surgeon killed my femoral nerve and my right leg now has limited movement putting more pressure on my left leg.

Recently, I have torn my ACL on left knee and the doctors are currently testing my femoral nerve on my left side before deciding to operate. So I’m currently getting out and about in a wheelchair.

We used to live in East London and recently moved to Cheshire for a better way of life for us. Since we have moved, I have joined a wheelchair basketball team called the Cheshire Phoenix wheelchair basketball club. I have become a really good player as I am coached by Anna Jackson who is a successful former Paralympic basketball player for team GB.

I’m currently using the club’s bball chair but that has limited me in my sport so I’m looking for a sponsor/donation towards my new bespoke wheelchair made by the best wheelchair manufacturer in the world, RGK. Cheshire Phoenixs have a good deaf awareness system which has really helped me settled into the team.

My future? Well I want to get a couple of seasons under my belt and next year, I am going to start my coaching badges for basketball and wheelchair basketball so I can pass on my experience and teach future deaf children basketball and wheelchair basketball. But I need the public’s help! I am not working as I am a carer for my son and basketball is my escape for the stresses at home.

Help fund Paul’s wheelchair via Go Fund Me by clicking here.