Customer Story - Dani Watts
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CUSTOMER STORY PRICELESS INDEPENDENCE FOR INJURED MOTHER OF TWO “They weren’t pushy at all, they just gave us all the information we needed to make our own decision” A family from Wokingham were able to buy their own home and modify it to be fully accessible – including the installation of a Stiltz Trio+ Homelift - after mother of two, Dani suffered a catastrophic injury playing rugby in 2017. Dani Watts, 31, took up rugby at the age of 25 and instantly fell in love with the sport. Two years later during a match for Reading-based club Rams RFC, Dani’s back was broken during a tackle which left her with a T10 spinal injury, losing the use of her legs. Dani, who has two children, Lillie-Rose (nine) and Freddie (seven) spent six months in hospital and now uses a manual wheelchair. Dani suffers with severe nerve pain but has worked extremely hard to get her life back on track. Dani said “It has been a very difficult time and I just want the ability to carry out ‘normal’ everyday tasks for my family and to get back to work. I have never known life any other way and I’ve always had a busy work life. Before retraining to becoming a personal trainer (PT), I was a police officer. I have two young children to look after and life is pretty hectic!” Building a New Home The RFU Injured Players Foundation has played a huge part in Dani’s life since her injury. They donated £246,000 towards her new accessible home, she also received additional £140K from Rams RFU and £100K from a kind-hearted PT client. “You don’t know what charity is until you are on the receiving end. It was the most amazing example of humanity I have ever seen; people do actually care”. With the financial support received, Dani and her family were able to buy their own home and convert it, so it was fully wheelchair accessible. Life Before Stiltz “Before we had the Stiltz Homelift fitted, my partner Pete had to give me a piggyback upstairs! Not only is this bad for his health, but it’s extremely undignified for me. We did this for nine months until our Stiltz Homelift was installed in January 2019 and

I can go to bed when I like, have a bath when I like... my independence is my life and that's what my Stiltz Homelift has given me. Now I can carry out normal tasks like taking the washing upstairs, the kids use the homelift to move the vacuum, we fill it with presents on our children's birthdays and our dog Bailey loves it! I can now do the 'normal' things anyone would do with their family". My Stiltz Homelift Dani was conscious her adapted home remained safe for her children and looked contemporary and stylish. "Being an able-bodied person going into the world of disability, I didn't want...