About Us

Tessa

Tessa was diagnosed with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy in 1978 when she was eight years old. She attended public schools and graduated high school in 1989 as valedictorian. She attended Emporia State University and graduated with an honors degree in zoology in 1993.

She married in 1997 and has a son. He is strong and healthy and thinks he knows everything.

She worked for twelve years as a graphic designer for Topeka Independent Living Resource Center. She retired in 2007 after a stroke.

She still does graphic design in her office at home and is still involved in state politics at the Capitol in Topeka. She serves on the Board of Directors of her former employer, and she currently serves as President.

Fred

Fred is a stray that Tessa rescued and made into a pet. He has a couple of college degrees, but no employer can control him except Tessa.

He is quite good at heavy lifting and housework. Sometimes, he can even fix a wheelchair with a pair of pliers and some baling wire. Once, he fixed a broken ventilator valve with duct tape in a Wal-Mart parking lot.

He’s also a pretty good speller. If you need a word spelled you can just ask him. He doesn’t need a dictionary. Very often.