Joni Eareckson Tada

In class today, I learned about an inspirational woman named Joni Eareckson Tada who suffers from a spinal cord injury.  At 17, she dove into shallow water and sustained a C4/C5 spinal injury.  She went from being extremely active to being a quadriplegic.  Instead of letting this slow her down, she has adapted and has done incredible things.  She has written over 50 books, painted beautiful pictures, and is a wonderful singer.  Not only was her story inspirational but seeing how OT fit into her story was beautiful.  After her injury and hospital stay, she was placed in a rehabilitation facility and her OT encouraged her to use a mouth stick and begin to paint.  Providing this leisure activity for Joni really made a difference in her life.  To see this exceptional lady adapt and do so well is encouraging to me as I encounter others with a similar injury.  Perhaps I can share this story with future clients and inspire them to be great in my role as an OT.