Callum lives a vibrant life in his hometown of Dunedin, New Zealand.

Despite Callum’s complex needs, including having severe cerebral palsy and being profoundly deaf, he loves the outdoors, challenging himself and has a passion for photography and making a charitable difference in his community.

Spex and Medifab have been a part of Callum’s extended family ever since he needed his first assistive technology equipment in 2000. For the last 23 years Medifab have worked closely with both Callum and his younger brother Tim, who sadly passed away in 2021.

Callum loves pushing hard at the Iron Warriors gym, a neuro-rehabilitation programme designed for people with any long-term disability or injury, where Callum has been working out for the past 4 years. We recently jumped at the chance to sponsor Callum’s gym membership and support his regular exercise to help him stay healthy, happy and strong.

Callum’s mother Barb tells us that all the intensive and supportive equipment that Spex and Medifab have provided has enabled the family to live good and full lives. She says when the positioning is right and the young person is well aligned, it enables lots of other stuff to happen. They are an active family who love the outdoors, so by sitting comfortably in chair, Callum feels much more secure, able and up for fun! His physical well-being is much better because of good posture.

Spex SuperShape Back Support:

Callum has a Spex SuperShape back support fitted to his chair which has allowed the contouring created by the curve in his back to be completely mapped out and filled to support his rotation and scoliosis. As his spine has spinal fusion rods, a lot of the unique Spex foam cubes have been used to build up contouring with the shape of the back support on his left. Cubes we also removed on the right to allow his shoulder to come back into the back support to prevent further rotation of his spine. We have used our Tessellated Shape Elements (TSS) to give further firm support to prevent his spine from collapsing on the left side. This has given Callum so much stability and allows his back support to be altered as his body shape changes, which is especially important as he is working out at the gym a lot.

Spex SuperHigh Contour Cushion:

Callum’s wheelchair is equipped with the Spex SuperHigh Contour Cushion, which provides stability and balance, supporting Callum’s upper body. This cushion allows for deep pelvic immersion whilst providing the ultimate pressure relief and comfort on the lateral side of the pelvis.

Spex Biangular Laterals:

Callum has a Spex Biangular Lateral which is positioned at the apex of his scoliosis on his left side only, providing support and blocking his scoliosis from developing further. The biangular function of the lateral has supported both planes of his scoliosis and provided greater comfort.

Because he works out at the gym, his upper strength and posture is changing all the time, so the Biangular Lateral Pad is really effective as it can be adjusted constantly and very easily as required.

Spex Centrepoint harness:

The Spex Centrepoint anterior shoulder harness keeps Callum’s shoulders back to prevent any more rotation and to stop him from falling forwards.

Spex Comfort 250 Head Support Pad with Stylo Head Support Mount:

Callum’s Comfort head support allows him to rest his head back toward the end of the day when he gets tired. It also acts as a guide, keeping his head aligned with the rest of his body.

If you enjoyed reading Callum’s story, you can watch his video here: