Jade

Written by Ashley Wells

Jade is a 14 year old girl living with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita. Jade is an incredibly intelligent, organized, and focused young lady. Jade is teaching herself higher level math due to the lack of classes available, as she is also a part of the newspaper team at her school which runs at the same time as the only higher math class. She will be going into Honors math next year.

Jade is a natural at public speaking and is a fantastic advocate for herself. Jade has been actively involved in 4H for years and has worked with all sorts of livestock as well as horses. She has worked at the fairgrounds during the fair the past few years helping with the animals. Jade loves to swim and describes herself as super buoyant, and says she can hold her breath for over a minute!

Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita is a rare disorder that affects the development of muscles and joints in the body. Jade and her family face some difficult challenges in their lives. Jade has limited use of her arms and hands which makes everyday tasks, such as getting homework out of her bag, difficult. One of the biggest challenges the family faces is a lack of services. Because Jade doesn’t have any intellectual or developmental disabilities, she doesn’t qualify for most services, including respite care. They are unable to receive funding for essential equipment, like a track system in their house to help Jade get into rooms that her chair can’t fit into.

At this point, Jade’s mom has to pick her up and carry her into some rooms. Jade has a pretty clear idea of what she wants to be when she grows up. She wants to be a Lawyer or an Architect. With such a drive and a personal history of struggles, Jade could absolutely be an essential part of major changes for the better for others living with physical disabilities.

Jade’s mom, Angel, says her daughter is already a great self advocate and hopes that she continues to advocate for herself in more ways. She also hopes that Jade always has caring people in her life to help her out. Jade really is a remarkable young lady, and it is a real pleasure to know her.