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On a typical Sunday morning, Jordan Wayne wakes up when one of his caretakers, Isabell Akers, walks through his bedroom door. Akers helps him into his wheelchair after getting him ready for church.

Wayne grew up with a physical disability called muscular dystrophy. He lost the ability to walk at about age 11.

“When most people exercise and use their muscles, they build their muscles up, but mine don’t do that,” Wayne said. “Over time, the more I use my muscles, the weaker they get.”

Grasping the concept of living on his own was difficult for him. He had to hire caretakers to help him do things he couldn’t do on his own.

Wayne has to schedule out his day more than the average college student. He has a caretaker wake him up and help him out of bed to start his morning. Lately, this has been a big stressor because of scheduling difficulties with his caretakers. Wayne schedules when someone can take him to the bathroom days ahead of time.

Akers said working with Wayne is one of the joys in her life. Lately, however, with her busy classes and a shortage of caretakers, the job can be a little stressful.

“Working with Jordan isn’t a typical college job; it’s more than that,” Akers said. “Even though it can be challenging, you gain a new friend out of the process.”

Wayne said growing up with his disability has really taught him to rely on God. He spoke at one of GV’s chapel services back in February about how putting his faith in God really impacted his life for the better.

“Every college student … has a lot of stress to deal with, but we are also at the age where we want to do things on our own,” Wayne said. “It’s a hard age to want to ask for help. My sermon was about putting more faith in God and learning to leave some anxieties with Him.”

Wayne said when he was younger, he felt that going to church was just “something that he had to do.” At the beginning of high school and later into college, Wayne said he became more aware of God.

Wayne is a graphic design major at GV and has a passion for art. He loves the feeling he gets when he sees the finished project. In his living room, he has a poster on the wall that he created his freshman year at Grand View. It has a cat with the words “¡cuidado! el gato espantoso” which means “caution! scary cat” in Spanish. Wayne said that he feels accomplished that he made it his first year at college.

“I work better when I am under pressure,” Wayne said. “When I am short on time, it helps me get things done because I tend to procrastinate a lot. Creating art can also be a stress reliever.”

During the summer, Wayne started to work on a few different projects that he hasn’t finished yet. His parents also really enjoy watching Wayne draw. Wayne said his parents ask for his artwork for their birthdays.

Throughout Wayne’s life, he has learned how important it is for him to put all of his faith in God. While at GV, Wayne is pursuing his dream in art and wants to build a future out of it. When he thinks about the future, Wayne said he is frustrated with the way his muscles are decreasing in strength, but putting his faith in God is what he says gets him through it all.