THE family of Batemans Bay’s Tom Roberts are raising funds for a wheelchair accessible vehicle.  Tom is a 26-year-old father of two and sometime in the next week or two, a special delivery will arrive – an electric wheelchair.  He was diagnosed with the disorder Freidreich's Ataxia, which affects his whole body, when he was around 14 years old. For the last five years he been struggling with muscle and joint pains to the point that he can no longer walk further than 10 metres without excruciating pain. The wheelchair and accessible vehicle will do the following for Tom: drastically reduce the amount of pain he has in his legs, allow him to take his kids to the Zoo and so many other places and enjoy it too and allow him to be a Dad that can take his kids to a playground without assistance and actually have fun, the kind of Dad that he outwardly gets jealous of. It will also allow him to be the one that goes to the shops instead of it always having to be his wife, and give him a sense of freedom that he hasn't had for years, one that he sees so many people take for granted. Tom has lost his balance, coordination and reflexes and has almost lost the ability to walk and write. His daughter is three and his son is five months old, but he has never been able to carry them. He has lost the ability to even perform simple tasks like getting himself a drink, but with his new mobility it is hoped these things will improve. Until now, Tom has had to sit in the car while his family did shopping or anything that involves him walking any distances without him, as the pain in his legs becomes unbearable after just a couple of minutes of walking with his frame. His daughter regularly begs him to go shopping, to the park or any other place that a three-year-old would go with their dad, but when he gives in, he has to spend the next two days in bed recovering from the pain and exhaustion. Tom’s family will need a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. These can be very expensive, so they are reaching out for assistance so they can be a normal family, and to take their children to the zoo and on family trips to  visit their grandparents, on trips where Tom isn't confined to a car or a lounge. The difference to his family’s quality of life will be significant.  Visit www.gofundme.com/robertsfreedom