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The following text is the full biography timeline featured in the back of our new children’s book exploring the inspirational story of Joni Eareckson Tada’s life. It is part of our Do Great Things for God series, a collection of beautifully illustrated biographies written to excite young children about the great things they can do for God. This book can be read to young children aged 4-5 and read by children aged 6 or older. Click here to download free biography worksheets for kids to fill in.
October 15, 1949 - Joni is born in Baltimore, Maryland. Her parents are John and Lindy, and she has three older sisters.
July 30, 1967 - Joni dives into shallow water in Chesapeake Bay and is paralyzed. She spends the next two years in the hospital.
1969 - Joni leaves the hospital.
1972 - A family friend puts on an exhibition of Joni’s artwork, all drawn with a paintbrush held in her mouth. Lots of people buy her paintings for a total of over $1,000 (over $7,000) in today’s money). Instead of writing her name, Joni signs all her paintings “P.T.L.,” which stands for “Praise the Lord.”
1976 - Joni publishes her autobiography, Joni: The Unforgettable Story of a Young Woman’s Struggle against Quadriplegia and Depression. It has now been translated into more than 38 languages, and there are 5 million copies in print. (Joni has now written over 50 books. At first she wrote by holding a pen in her mouth; today, she uses a computer program that turns her voice into written words.)
1979 - Joni and Friends (JAF) is founded.
1980 - Joni is released as a film.
July 3, 1982 - Joni marries Ken Tada.
1982 - The Joni and Friends Radio program begins. It teaches the Bible, encourages listeners, and helps people be more aware of what it’s like to live with a disability.
1988 - US President Ronald Reagan asks Joni to be part of the National Council on Disability, helping the government care for people with disabilities.
1994 - Wheels for the World begins. Its aim is to send wheelchairs to parts of the world where many people can’t afford to buy one and to tell those people about Jesus.
2007 - The JAF International Disability Center opens in Agoura Hills, California.
2012 - Joni becomes a member of the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
2014 - Wheels for the World delivers the 100,000th donated wheelchair.
2017 - Joni sings “Hallelujah! What a Savior!” at the first Sing! Conference, organized by Kristyn and her husband Keith.
2019 - Joni and Friends celebrates its 40th birthday.
You can learn more about Joni’s amazing life in Joni Eareckson Tada: The Girl Who Learned to Follow God in a Wheelchair.
Kristyn is the founder, along with her husband, Keith, of Getty Music. She is an award-winning hymn writer and the author of Sing! and a children's biography of Joni Eareckson Tada. Kristyn and Keith live in Nashville with their four children.
