I linked up this post about Joni Eareckson Tada for women's history month because she has proven to be a courageous woman in the midst of the tragedy she experienced at seventeen years of age when she dove into Chesapeake Bay going swimming. She had misjudged the shallowness of the water and as a result she suffered a fracture between the fourth and fifth cervical levels and became a quadriplegic. Prior to her swimming accident she had lived life as a normal teenager. She enjoyed hiking, swimming, tennis, and riding horses. That all changed on July 30, 1967 when she dove off the diving board into Chesapeake Bay.
Tada was born the youngest of four daughters on October 15, 1949 in Baltimore, Maryland. She was named "Johnny" after her father in hopes of a boy. As a result of her accident in 1967, her life was permanently and drastically altered. She experienced, anger, depression, suicidal thoughts and religious doubts. In the midst of her life-changing circumstances, she chose to rise above her situation and not become bitter. She learned to paint with a brush between her teeth and began selling her artwork. She has even written books. To date she's writen 40 books, along with several musical albums. She even starred in an autobiographical film about her life. Joni wrote of her experiences in a best-selling autobiographical book entitled, Joni, The Unforgettable Story of a Young Woman's Struggle Against Quadriplegia & Depression. It has been distributed into many languages.
In 1979 Joni founded the ministry "Joni and Friends" in 1979, an organization in the Christian ministry in the disabled throughout the world. In 1982 she married her husband Ken Tada.
I don't know anything of Joni's views concerning the Bible, but she's an inspiration to those that have suffered disabilities. It would've been easy for her to throw in the towel because of her life-altering disability. It's difficult to imagine life without the use of your limbs. However, she chose not to remain bitter but use what she has to help those who are in the same shape she's in. She's been an advocate for those who've suffered disabilities like she has. I have a lot of respect for her. We can learn lessons from her situation. Many times we complain and grumble over the most insignificant things. We have our limbs and are able to do things with our hands and feet. Here's a woman that can't walk and enjoy the things of life she once did. However, she chose to use her life in a positive way and has been a help and encouragement to those that are quadriplegic. What a testimony she is!
To read more about Joni, click on the above link from Wikipedia.
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