Pray for Joni Today

Please join today in praying for Joni Eareckson Tada, who is undergoing cancer surgery this afternoon.

Franklin Springs blog alerted me to this need ... I'm sharing it with you. Here is a press release that reveals the strength and resilience that defines this champion of the faith:

AGOURA HILLS, Calif., June 23—Internationally-beloved disability advocate, artist and quadriplegic Joni Eareckson Tada has been diagnosed with breast cancer, it was announced today by Doug Mazza, Joni and Friends International Disability Center president and COO, following confirmation by her physicians.

“Joni is to undergo several more tests, followed by surgery within the week,” said Mazza. “The extent of the cancer will not be determined until the procedure.”

Ken Tada, Joni’s husband of nearly 28 years, is very hopeful. “The doctors have assured us that more advancements have been made in the last five years in treating breast cancer then in the last 150 years,” he said. “We are confident Joni is in very good hands.”

Joni echoed Ken’s sentiments. “I’ve often said that our afflictions come from the hand of our all-wise and sovereign God, who loves us and wants what is best for us. So, although cancer is something new, I am content to receive from God whatever He deems fit for me,” she said. “Yes, it’s alarming, but rest assured that Ken and I are utterly convinced that God is going to use this to stretch our faith, brighten our hope and strengthen our witness to others.”

Joni, a quadriplegic for more than 40 years, is founder of Joni and Friends International Disability Center, and has been a strong advocate for people with disabilities. She has served on the National Council on Disability and the Disability Advisory Committee to the U.S. State Department. She is senior associate for disability concerns for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization and serves in an advisory capacity to the American Leprosy Mission, the National Institute on Learning Disabilities, as well as on the boards of reference for the Christian Writers’ Guild and the Christian Medical and Dental Society.

“We’ve always prized the ministry God has given Joni and Friends to people facing a variety of disabilities; everything from autism to Alzheimer’s, from spina bifida to spinal cord injury,” said Joni. “For years I have hoped that my quadriplegia might encourage people struggling with cancer ... now I have a chance to truly empathize and journey alongside, affirming that God’s grace is always sufficient for whatever the disease or disability.”

Following surgery, Joni will receive treatment based on the findings. “Thankfully, my quadriplegia does not significantly impact either the surgery or the treatment. I’m like any other woman who has breast cancer,” said Joni. “I want to pour all my energies into getting better.”