Yorkshire West Riding
Health and wellbeing
Andrew and Gillian’s story
Freemason, Andrew suffers from bilateral osteoarthritis of the knee, which is a painful condition that can reduce mobility and make daily tasks difficult to manage. Andrew’s wife, Gillian, is his sole carer whom he is reliant on. In an effort to relieve some pressure from the both of them, Andrew reached out to his Lodge Almoner to look into support available for them.
“Andrew’s mobility has had a ripple effect on our family, and our house has had to be adapted. This has limited the space we have, and at one point, before he had his first knee surgery, we had to place a hospital bed in the front room, which took up most of the space. It was upsetting that he was stuck sleeping there when he would usually be upstairs with me. It took up so much space that we couldn’t have a Christmas tree. Our grandson is five, and he loves everything about Christmas, especially the tree.” – Gillian
In 2020, we were able to provide Andrew with a riser-recliner chair, as well as a mobility scooter which was a great support to Gillian when looking after him. In the years that followed, he received a stair lift and a right knee replacement.
Since Andrew’s first knee replacement, he hasn’t had pain in that knee. He still experiences pain in the left one, but before the surgery, he had pain in both, which made him upset, and that upset me too, seeing him like that. His hope for the future is that he will be able to take our grandson for a walk, as he’s only ever known his grandad to be in a wheelchair.
It was upsetting—there’s nothing worse than your knees giving way. I spoke to our local masonic assistant, and she put us in contact with a lady in London [an MCF Grants Officer] who helped us get support. My condition meant I had to stay in a hospital bed downstairs initially, and we now have a stair lift to go upstairs, thanks to the MCF. It’s changed my life quite a bit – it’s been a big help. I’m forever grateful to the MCF for what they have done. Keep providing support to people who need it!
Andrew recently had his right knee replaced in September 2024, thanks to the support of the generous donations of Freemasons and their families, through the MCF.
The help you’ve given hasn’t just helped him; it’s helped the whole family. I don’t know what state Andrew would be in now if we didn’t have the help, and I don’t know what state I would be in either.
