Max Wymer needs The Beast to help change his life. 
 
The Target Road Primary School student uses a Ministry of Health-funded wheelchair suitable for indoor use but struggles to even tackle the ramp leading to his house. Max, 11, has his heart set on a 4x4 all-terrain wheelchair, known as The Beast. 
 
 
     
 
He has a type of cerebral palsy that affects all four of his limbs and wants to enjoy a more active life. 

The Beast claims to stand up to mud and sand and mum Lara Wymer says it will allow them to be ‘‘a typical Kiwi family’’. 

Max loves rugby and powerchair football. He can beat all his four siblings on the Rugby World Cup Xbox game and his favorite thing about school is sport. 

But it’s becoming difficult to keep Max involved as he gets harder to lift and carry over terrain his wheelchair can’t handle. 

‘‘It’s not only exhausting but I can’t help the other kids,’’ Lara says. 

The Glenfield resident is a single mother of five and she’s grateful for what the Ministry of Health offers. 

‘‘The chair’s great for inside and in the classroom but for Max, he wants to do everything everyone else does,’’ Lara says. 

‘‘It’s hard to ask for help but for the next part of his life, to keep up with his peers, we can’t do that in this chair.’’ The Beast has a $15,000 price tag so Lara has appealed to trusts and East Coast Bays Rotary for help. 

East Coast Bays Rotary set up a Givealittle page and found a trust to match donations dollar-for-dollar. Lara says the chair will give Max access to life. 

‘‘If we wanted to go down to the park he could go and if he wanted to walk the dogs he could but at the moment we can’t because we never know when he might get stuck.’’ East Coast Bays Rotary Club member Amanda Chambers says she is ‘‘blown away’’ by Max. 

‘‘He is just a normal 11-year-old boy having a laugh at his mother’s expense and just all smiles,’’ she says.