So many people with disabilities around the world have no access to wheelchairs. You can give someone the gift of mobility and freedom with the donation of a wheelchair! Join Joni and Friends for Wheelchair Collection Month! Visit joniandfriends.org to find out how you can help.
Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org
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I used to hate wheelchairs. Like, I mean, really hate them!
But when I was forced to be in a hospital bed for over a year, a wheelchair started to look pretty wonderful! Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and, yep, that was me. You see, the year when I broke my neck, I developed sepsis, lost a ton of weight, and as a result of that, I had a bunch of pressure sores. It meant I had to be confined to my hospital bed – actually, it was a Stryker frame So there I was lying flat for a full year. Now, at first, when I was initially injured, I hated the idea of wheelchairs. I was still convinced that I would get better; I’d be back on my feet; I would have absolutely no need for a wheelchair. I mean, come on – that was for handicapped people, not me.
But, I’d say after about four or five months, maybe six months lying flat into my stint in bed, the idea of a wheelchair began to look pretty good. I’d be in my room, and I’d glance out toward the hallway and I’d see these people rolling by in their wheelchairs. They were up and about; they were doing something; they were going somewhere. But me? I was stuck in bed. For a whole year! So it did not take long after that for my attitude to change. A wheelchair, I figured, might be the next best thing to having legs that walked. It could be the next best thing to being healed of paralysis.
And so, when I finally became strong enough and healthy enough to sit up, I got my first wheelchair. It was not a power chair at first; it was a manual pushchair, and I was able to work my muscles for the first time. As I labored hard, I put all my effort into wheeling myself to physical therapy. It took just about an hour to get there, and it was only two hallways down from my hospital room. But, man, did it feel good to face the world sitting up at a ninety-degree angle. It felt good to move forward into life.
And you know, I think back on that when I read the statistics of people with disabilities overseas who lie in back bedrooms for lack of a wheelchair. They struggle with pressure sores, just like I did at one time; and many of them lie in bed for a lot longer than I ever did. Some of them have even given up hope of ever moving forward into life because, unlike most of us, there is no medical support; there is no rehab; there’s no wheelchair paid for by social services. And I tell you, these are the ones that we want to help as we deliver wheelchairs and Bibles around the world. At Wheels for the World, Joni and Friends is changing the dreary statistics as we take the hope of the Gospel and wheelchairs to people in desperate need! But, we need your help.
We need used but serviceable wheelchairs that we can refurbish, restore, and make like new. Pediatric chairs, recliner wheelchairs, chairs designed for stroke survivors; all kinds of wheelchairs to meet the needs of people with all sorts of disabilities. So, please, if you have a used but serviceable wheelchair sitting around, give it to us! We will refurbish it like new and provide it to someone in need! To donate, just go to joniradio.org for all the details. Make a difference in the life of a needy, disabled person. And give the Gospel while doing it. Looking back on my own experience, I really do understand the importance of a solid, well-fitted wheelchair; and it’s why my husband and I are such strong supporters of this special outreach, Wheels for the World. Hey, it’s Wheelchair Collection Month at Joni and Friends, so donate your used wheelchair at joniradio.org. So get rolling, and let’s hear from you today!
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