Foreward

By Joni Eareckson Tada
Joni and Friends International Disability Center

Before you begin…
It's not often that I see quadriplegics standing, but Judy Siegle is one of them.
She was standing, a tad shakily, on stage at the front of the dining hall at one of our Joni and Friends Family Retreats. Dressed in her athletic garb, tanned and smiling, she looked like she could drop to the floor and do 50 sit-ups…lead us all in an hour of aerobics … or pick up a tennis racquet and smack a ball over our heads. That's when I noticed her hands. They were a little like mine, fingers curled and slightly "flat" in a funny way. I realized then that Judy's disability was probably more of a challenge than she was letting on.

My "fellow quad" inspired a lot of people with her story that evening. I watched her the rest of the week, hanging out with teenagers under a tree, parking her chair next to a kid over at the snack-shack, and counseling with parents about their child with spina bifida. No matter how late I wheeled back to my cabin, there was Judy with energy to burn, always hob-knobbing with a few night-owl volunteers. It would have been enough for her to invest her time like that at one JAF Family Retreat, but she kept showing up at others throughout the entire summer.

The lady's amazing.

Judy writes the way she lives. If she tells you she's got 10 keys to unlock a champion hidden away somewhere, you can bet on it. You would know that for sure if you had been sitting with me in the stadium in Sydney, Australia, when I cheered Judy on in her race in the 2000 Paralympics. My friend may not have come away with a gold medal, but you’d never have known that from the smile she flashed when she wheeled up to find me in the stands. Judy never seems to let a disappointment keep her from looking on the bright side.

When disability struck Judy Siegle, she discovered some incredible life-changing keys to character development and peace of mind. More importantly, she found wonderful keys in the Word of God. As a result, she discovered the "champion" within her, and she's never looked back.

In Living without Limits, Judy shares her warm and deeply personal journey, showing us how to see the potential for change and possibility in our own crazy circumstances. No, you probably won't learn how to smack a tennis ball over anyone's head, but you will find that champions come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. And, hey, you may find that you're a champion, too. As you read the life story of this extraordinary woman and observe the way she lives like a champion for Christ, you will discover that God has put no limits on your potential in Him. Just turn the page, open your heart, and take the keys in your hand…

There's a lot in your life to be unlocked.