Cycle crash victim Alex Doodle will no longer have to “crawl” to and from the taxis they rely on get to hospital appointments after a #SaveTaxi crowdfunder hit its target of £3,000 within a week.
As reported in the Islington Gazette last week, Alex, who is gender neutral, was put on a lengthy waiting list for a wheelchair earlier this year.
The architecture graduate has relied on black cabs to get around since a crash in Essex Road seven years ago and was “lost for words” when told the news.
“I’m still in shock and so grateful,” she said. “Black cab drivers continue to be my lifeline while government policies and funding cuts hinder my ability to live independently and have my basic needs met. A group of people in a trade also threatened took the time and effort to help me.
“They have given me more than a wheelchair – they have given me independence.”
Alex, who says she has been living off full fat milk because she spends all her money on cabs and mental health services, is looking forward to getting out and about again.
“I will be able to go to a hospital appointment, look around the shops or even go to an art gallery,” she said. “It’s been over seven years.”
The next target is wheelchair-accessible accommodation. Alex is currently in a first-floor flat in Englefield Road, Canonbury, waiting for an adapted home to become available – but just 28 have been let in the last two years. The council says it is doing all it can.
Alex, 44, continued: “When I eventually move, I will live with more dignity and feel less degraded as one of my conditions makes it look like I’m having a stroke so I’m basically on the floor for hours or days or trying to drag myself on one side to the bathroom.”
Cabbie Terry Vaus started the fundraiser. He said: “It’s fantastic news. I never thought when it started it would go so well.”
Editorial comment :
A big thank you to all contributors who have made Alex's dream come true and a very big thank you to all at Sherbet Taxis for their generous contribution.
It's what Cabbies do
