Strength in Swag, Refuge in Faith

My loss was many years ago, and it was the "miracle child" that we were told was never possible because of my spinal cord injury. This was a remarkable high that was followed by the tragic loss five months later. At this time, we were grappling with the loss of my mother age 50 and did not know that soon my wife's younger sister, 37, passed away quickly of cancer, leaving behind 11 children ages 14 to newborn. Recently my wife underwent two major cancer surgeries, and we rejoice that at this time she is cancer free. With those experiences and others, we determined that we did not want to "waste our scars", but rather use those experiences as a way to minister to others who are in the midst of their "storm." Steve & Julie Wagstaff are an inter-abled couple who have spent the last 30 years of their lives together as husband and wife as well as partner and full-time caregiver. Steve, a quadriplegic from a diving accident at age 19, has lived life to its fullest despite many obstacles. The couple has spent the last 16 years in ministry, as Steve most recently retired from the pastorate after his wife's cancer surgeries in 2023. Since that time, both Steve and Julie have invested their lives into building up those who are struggling through trauma, illness, disabilities as well as families dealing with “caregiver burnout.” Faith is a theme of both of their lives as they are passionate about sharing the gospel and helping serve people wherever they see a need. SwagAbility was established as a nonprofit organization in both Canada a… Read More