Support Tonya's Journey of Health Recovery

It’s not because you have to; it’s because you want to.

Tonya Carruthers is a wife, boy mom, sports fanatic, natural leader, and Jesus lover. She has a heart built for serving those within her community and globally. She’ll tell you she can be shy and not want to stand in front of an audience, but the passion in which she speaks will say otherwise as soon as the first sentence is uttered. Tonya will be the first to tell you that “time is the most precious commodity.” It’s obvious she lives by those words in the purposeful way she spends her time, whether it’s the relationships created or what she’s giving back to those around her.

For over two decades, I have watched my friend grow into the amazing woman I not only call friend but family. She gives of herself so effortlessly with no hidden agenda, expectations or repayment. She’ll most likely scold you for even trying to pay for the blessing she’s passed on. She’s a defender of those who cannot fight for themselves and speaks so eloquently for others who have nothing left to say. She is a Board Director for Courage For Life, where she shares her wisdom to help others find purpose and align themselves for greatness. Tonya is also a Board Director for The Pure Hope Foundation, an incredible organization she wholeheartedly supports and puts time into serving those who have survived human trafficking.

I can go on for a novel because I’m obviously the most chatty one in our friendship. But it’s easy to do when you’re speaking of Tonya Joy. She’s a giver, a server, and does not ask anything for herself. So, therefore, I am asking you.

Late Wednesday evening of April 20, 2022, while on a work trip out of state, Tonya was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, and thankfully, her husband Daryn was able to take the earliest flight to be with her. She was scheduled for surgery the following Sunday, April 24. However, instead of flying back home to Texas Tuesday, April 26, as planned, her sons, family, and friends flew to Ohio and took turns two at a time to hold her hand while she was on life support because the surgery did not go as well planned.

It’s been over a month now, and Tonya is still in the hospital. We are so thankful that she is finally out of the Cardiovascular ICU room, but she has a long road of recovery ahead of her. First, the doctors are waiting for her numbers to increase to what they need them to be before Tonya, her husband Daryn, and her mother-in-love can fly back to Texas. Once they approve the transfer, she will relocate to a hospital near her boys and home, where she will have to do rehab and continuous physical therapy.

Though we want a speedy recovery for her, we want her to be complete and whole. We also want to make sure that she can attain these healing goals with the assistance that she will direly need. With the recovery ahead of her and the length of time that she’s already spent in the hospital, her medical expenses are steadily increasing. Part of the expenses I am asking your support for are for medical equipment and handicap accessories that will be necessary as she continues her rehabilitation and recovery when she is finally able to come home. You know she’s a fighter, a survivor, and a lover of people. Knowing that, you also know she does not ask for anything if it’s for her.

So… It’s not because you have to; it’s because you want to.