Why Quit Now!

Rodney and Tonya Godwin have lived in our community since 2001 and raised their children here.  Tonya worked in the cardiac rehabilitation unit at First Health.  She was also very active in the West End PTA while their children attended the Elementary School as well as coached the Seven Lakes Stingrays. 

One day in 2005, she knew something was not right when she could not stand on her tiptoes in the class she was teaching. What started as intermittent vague symptoms relating to balance and muscle spasms turned into a life altering diagnosis: MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Over the next few years her symptoms worsened. Eventually, her diagnosis was updated to Primary Progressive MS (PPMS), which meant that, unlike many cases of MS, remission was unlikely and MS would continue to attack her body.  

Tonya went from strong and athletic to a determined woman fighting to put one foot in front of the other. She went from skiing behind a boat to being a passenger and the neighborhood “coach” for all the kids wanting to experience water sports. Her drive to keep going never stopped and she continued to hold her top spot on the podium as the “best mom”. 

Tonya, a woman with quadriplegia, continues to embrace life. She and her husband want to travel, explore, visit family & friends, and do the things that many take for granted. Finding accessible accommodations is a constant challenge.

Though her mind is still sharp, she no longer has control of her arms or legs. She drives her wheelchair with a sip & puff straw system. She has 50+ hours a week of support from an incredible team of home caregivers. 

Traveling is something that Tonya and Rodney have continued to try to do. Finding travel accommodations that are correctly set up for a person with quadriplegia has become increasingly more challenging. It’s no longer about picking where they want to visit, instead they have to go where they can find an accessible accommodation and hope they can make it work.

Then, traveling in an RV came onto the horizon.  Tonya and Rodney are excited about where an accessible RV can take them.  Tonya was skeptical of the idea of traveling in a RV in a wheelchair until her husband, Rodney, took her on a tour of the RV, modified specifically for quadriplegics. She was shocked and amazed at the setup. Later that evening, Tonya told her husband “I will go anywhere that you will take me in this.”

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/accessible-transitions/wheelchair-accessible-rv

Please consider donating to help Tonya obtain this specialized RV and realize her dream of being able to travel. All donations are tax deductible. Checks can also be mailed directly to Accessible Transitions at 124 North Trade Street, Suite A West End, NC 27376 or call 910-420-0950

See more about this project at

https://www.accessibletransitions.org/projects

AccessibleTransitions@gmail.com

As with every challenge Tonya has faced, why quit now?