Family asks for help to repair lift platform

In 2024, the parents asked for help purchasing a wheelchair through social media, and VTM helped the family reach more people. The request was answered, and the wheelchair arrived as an early Christmas present.

Now, the family is once again in need of help. About to turn 17, Matilde is practically stuck at home, all because the electronic platform her parents use to guide her up and down the stairs broke down.

"We waited three weeks for the company to send technicians to assess the situation. The platform was working, but they left and it broke down again. I was left with Matilde halfway down the stairs. I had to wait for my husband to get her out," explains Carmo Santos.

Meanwhile, the estimate for repairing the platform arrived, but the family can't afford it. "It's 1,800 euros. With therapies and everything else, it's hard to spend that much. We're counting our money down to the penny," he confesses.

That's why she decided, once again, to appeal for people's solidarity. On the Facebook page "Matilde wants to continue winning," where she posts her daughter's achievements and holds raffles to raise money for therapy, Carmo Santos left a message.

"After difficult weeks, we now have a budget to repair our daughter's platform lift, which has been broken for over a month. Unfortunately, we cannot bear this cost alone, and it is with humility and hope that we ask for your help," the post reads.

Carmo Santos points out that the platform “is essential for Matilde’s mobility,” but also provides “comfort, dignity, and freedom to leave and enter our homes,” admitting that repairing the platform “allows Matilde to once again have safe and independent access to our cause.”

For now, access is difficult. "She's heavy, and on top of that, we have to carry her on our backs and then go back to carry the wheelchair. It's complicated."

Right now, Matilde "is at home a lot, also because she's on vacation," says her mother, noting that "she hasn't been to therapy very often, not only because of the difficulty in transporting her, but also because we can't afford the therapy. We don't have enough money for everything, so we're taking advantage of the clinic's vacation to save a little."

By Monday, Matilde's family had raised 500 euros, leaving them 1,300 euros short of the amount needed to repair the electric platform.

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