Elizabeth Vangelder was born in 1929 in the city of Bellingham Washington. She was born with a Nuchal Cord, where the umbilical cord is wrapped around the neck one or more times. As a result, she was born with brain damage and cerebral palsy which led to intellectual disabilities and developmental delays. Although she could walk as a child, in her later years she was confined to a wheelchair bed, her back twisted, her wrists atrophied, unable to straighten, unable to eat, dress or use the bathroom without the help of an aide. Every day she would be parked on the front porch of Needhams Rest home alone to watch the world go by. Though people would walk up and say hello, they would quickly leave when they realized that though she was smart, due to the cerebral palsy she could not talk in a language they could understand.
I had a friend named Angie who lived not far from Needhams. Angie was 18. Every Sunday she would walk from her home in the morning to her church to teach Sunday School. The route passed the front porch of Needhams. One day as she passed, she noticed the wheelchair bed, a woman’s face and eyes that were following her. God asked her to stop.