Agoura Hills, CA, Oct. 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When Joni Eareckson Tada broke her neck in a diving accident at the age of 17, doctors told her she could expect to live 10 years with her type of spinal cord injury.
Now having inspired millions with her life story of perseverance and faith, and having surpassed life expectancy estimates for a spinal cord injury patient by decades, the Christian author and disability advocate will celebrate her 75th birthday October 15 with deep gratitude for her unexpected longevity. Having lived in her wheelchair for almost six decades, Joni is one of the longest living quadriplegics to date.
This is a milestone year for Joni in more ways than one.
- Joni, who is well known for her ability to paint with a brush in her mouth, has lived with quadriplegia for 57 years.
- This year marks the 45th anniversary since she started her namesake ministry, Joni and Friends, bringing hands-on help and Gospel hope to people living with disability around the globe.
- 2024 also commemorates the 30th year of Wheels for the World™, the ministry’s flagship outreach that collects used wheelchairs, restores them in prison work programs, and distributes them to low-resource countries worldwide.
Since its founding, Joni and Friends has helped 14 million people all over the world. Joni continues to serve as CEO.
“I know why God has me living – it’s all for the advancement of his Gospel,” Joni said. “There have been seasons I’ve thought I might be close to the end of my days here on earth, but each time God has brought me back from the edge with a renewed sense of purpose to tell more people about Jesus. Especially families struggling with disability.”
As it says in Psalm 116:1-2, “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”
Joni and Friends continues to expand. In August, the ministry celebrated the grand opening of Joni’s House Brazil, which will provide spiritual counseling, medical care, job training, and more. Staff also broke ground on Joni’s House East St. Louis, the first domestic Joni’s House location, which will provide respite services in an economically disadvantaged area.
Joni and Friends is dedicated to helping the world’s most vulnerable population. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Joni and Friends worked with in-country partners to evacuate hundreds of people with disabilities from war zones. Now, Joni and Friends is training teams of volunteers to minister to disabled Ukrainian Veterans who are experiencing the visible and invisible wounds of war.
And Joni continues to make an impact as an individual. Her latest book, The Practice of the Presence of Jesus, reached the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Bestsellers List. In August, she was honored as the Global Leadership Network’s inaugural Legacy Leader Award recipient.
“As a quadriplegic, I do not take the years for granted; I realize each one is a Spirit-sent gift,” Joni said.
To learn what Joni and her ministry are doing, or explore how you can help, visit https://joniandfriends.org.
About Joni and Friends
For 45 years, Joni and Friends has provided the hope of the Gospel and practical care to people living with disability across the globe. Ministry programs include Joni’s House, Wheels for the World, Family Retreats, and disability ministry training. Joni and Friends also delivers daily inspirational media through radio programs and podcasts. To find out more, please visit www.joniandfriends.org.
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