I guess there was no one better to tell the story of Joni Earacksen Tada than herself. So like Audie Murphy got to play himself in his autobiographical film, Ms. Tada gets to do her own story.

In 1967 Ms. Tada while diving smacked into a platform abd sustained a broken neck. She became a quadriplegic and learned to function that way. She was an equestrian before that accident, but learned to develop another talent while being paralyzed. You'll have to watch the film to see what it is.

Joni Eareckson Tada is a fine teller of her own story. Joni is a film for more than church basements.

I some times wish I had Joni's health, because life is all about expectations and she exceeds the expectations of all of those around her and fortunately her own (after an adjustment period).

What is critical is that (according to this story) she has full support from friends and family. I promise you this is often not the case. Often what happens is the lay person has their own expectations based on naiveté. In my case, my drive to restore function to my permanent injuries only makes my family wonder why I can't get double the results. You see my point? Their expectations are always going to be more than what I achieve. My drive and hard work to them only proved that it was not so bad in the first place. I am not not all people are like that but I fear that most are. I try to speak out for others that are treated unfairly and it is too humiliating to defend my own strengths. I have been considering a book for my story but my humble sense of self makes me prefer to point to Joni's story as a triumph. My story would sound like an attack on my family but they are probably just typical. Joni is sensational and I can see that without her family there for her in the first years the story would have been 10,000 times more tragic.

Please consider watching and or reading this if anyone in your family suffers any permanent disability.

It almost goes without saying that this is a nice and inspiring story. I say that because most people who view this VHS know who Joni Eareckson (Tada) is before they watch this 1980 story of her amazing life. Christians, I assume, are the ones who know about this woman and how she turned a tragedy into a very powerful witness to God.

Joni plays herself in this movie while the rest of the cast are professional actors. She's a so- so actress but her story is so extraordinary I didn't find myself getting concerned about her acting. The only problem I had with the film was that was a tad too slow. Watching almost two hours of a woman in physical rehabilitation is not easy!

Yes, she is an incredible woman - and continues to be today - but there are a number of frustrating and depressing moments in the film as we see her grapple, mentally, physically and spiritually with trying to cope with being almost totally paralyzed. I just cannot fathom what she, and others like her, has gone through. You get some sense of that in this film.

I would strongly recommend this film to anyone who has suffered a major physical setback in their life. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who has overcome them as well as Joni, so this movie could be a great encourager for you. (It would help if someone would release this on DVD!)

Also - for anyone - I would recommend reading some of Joni's books, check out her artwork and just - if nothing else - learn a little about what makes this woman tick. It might just turn your life around, too.