Customer Story - Knowles
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CUSTOMER STORY CLEARLY, A VISTA HOMELIFT WITH A VIEW “In the end, I decided to get an extension built and get a Stiltz Homelift fitted. I’d read great reviews about them online” A Cambridge man who suffers from an extremely rare form of muscular dystrophy has discovered a ‘life changing’ method of moving between the floors of his home following a lengthy but ultimately unsuccessful clinical trial to cure the disease. Christopher Knowles, 70, suffers from Inclusion Body Myositis (IBM) – a slowly progressive muscle-wasting disease that mostly affects the arms and legs – and was diagnosed with the disease five years ago. “After about a year, I was asked if I wanted to take part in a clinical trial. It was tough as I had to go to London every month for two years but, of course, at the time I felt it was worth it because the doctors were trying to find a worldwide cure that would reverse the onset of the disease. Mr. Knowles travelled to the hospital at Queen Square in Bloomsbury once a month for experimental drug trials where he would undergo a wide range of tests including blood tests, weight testing, x-rays, heat scans, muscle testing, electrocardiograms (ECG) and more. “They got very excited as the first round of tests showed positive results but, in the end, they said it wasn’t working and they didn’t want to continue because of side effects.” Symptoms of IBM initially include the progressive weakening of the wrist and finger muscles, the front thigh muscles and the muscles that lift the front of the foot. This meant that Mr. Knowles was finding the stairs in his two-bedroomed Victorian terrace home extremely difficult to manage. Unusually, the two bedrooms were downstairs and the kitchen, living room and bathroom were upstairs so it was essential that Mr. Knowles could find a mobility solution to help him move between floors more easily. He had already decided against the idea of a stairlift after having been advised it was unsu

“It was taking for ever to get upstairs and it was very painful,” said Mr. Knowles. “A stairlift wasn’t suitable at all. I could get on the seat but couldn’t get off. “Friends suggested I move house but couldn’t bring myself to leave the home I’d lived in for more than 20 years. Also, I can’t drive anymore so I didn’t want to move out of the city”. The extension plans were initially rejected following neighbours’ objections, however Cambridge City Council did grant Mr. Knowles permission a year later. Mr. Knowles said: “It’s been a long road, but my extension is finally finished and the...