A New Perspective
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada. Around the world, tens of thousands of people can’t get out of bed for lack of a wheelchair. And I understand their plight; in a way, I’ve been there. You know my story, that awful dive into shallow water in the summer of 1967. I spent almost a year in the hospital lying on a Stryker frame. The depression, the suicidal despair felt so suffocating; I ended up weighing under 100 pounds; pretty thin for someone who’s 5 foot 7. And being so thin and lying flat all the time, my boney points broke down into pressure sores. Yet, I didn’t want to get better if it meant living in a wheelchair. But guess what? When time came for me to try sitting up in a wheelchair months later, my perspective had changed; I had a whole new life! I loved sitting up in a chair. If you’d like to help provide wheelchairs to people in need around the world, then please visit joniandfriends.org to learn more.
© Joni and Friends
