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Joni Eareckson Tada born October 15, is an American evangelical Christian author , radio host, artist, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization "accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community". Joni was named for her father, John Eareckson, so her name is pronounced like "Johnny". Her father participated in the Summer Olympics as an alternate for the United States wrestling team and was honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum in With the example of her parents, Tada lived a very active life all through her growing-up years, enjoying riding horses, hiking, tennis, and swimming.

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On July 30, , when she was 17 years old, she dove into the Chesapeake Bay after misjudging the shallowness of the water. She had a fracture between the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae and became a quadriplegic or tetraplegic , paralyzed from the shoulders down. However, during occupational therapy, she learned to paint with a brush between her teeth and began selling her artwork.

She also writes this way, although for most writing tasks she relies on voice recognition software. To date, she has written over forty books, recorded several musical albums, and starred in an autobiographical movie of her life, and is an advocate for people with disabilities. The book was made into a feature film of the same name, starring herself.

Her second book, A Step Further , was released in She founded Joni and Friends in , an organization to "accelerate Christian ministry in the disability community" throughout the world.