Husband makes desperate plea to help wife

A Donnybrook man desperately needs help to build a backyard ramp for his wife who is suffering from a debilitating disease.

Joe Carter has made his plea to the South Western Times in a bid to seek donations and building expertise to help his wife who has Huntington’s disease.

He wants her to be able to enjoy the trees he planted in their backyard — but she cannot safely walk from her back door, down the hill and into the garden.

Both are on disability pensions and cannot afford to pay for the work.

Mr Carter has tried to make two makeshift ramps — one was made out of wood crudely nailed over rocks – but these were too steep and not stable enough for her to use safely.

He cares for his wife at their home, keeping a promise he would never send her to a care home after seeing what had happened to her family who also suffered from the disease.

“I said to Teresa ‘I promise I will look after you’, ” he said.

The couple approached a community organisation but were told it could not afford to do the work.

Mr Carter was saddened that no one could help Teresa despite the years she spent working in nursing homes and with patients with special needs.

“I think she deserves something for all the hard work she has done, ” he said.

Mrs Carter pleaded for donations in a hand-written note that she has sent to the South Western Times.

“I use a walker at home and one day I will need a wheelchair, ” she said.

“I can’t access my garden as the ramp my husband made is too dangerous.”

Huntington’s disease is a neurological condition which is passed down from parent to child, according to advocacy group Huntington’s Western Australia.

The disease affects parts of the brain that control movement, thoughts and emotions and has a slow progression.

Children have a 50 per cent risk of inheriting the disease if they have one parent with it.

There is no cure though medications can alleviate the symptoms.