Aiming to do even more on her own
Rachel Tessa Day is a young adult living on her own for the first time.
Like most young people who have recently moved out of their parents' home, she's exhilarated by her newly found independence.
She loved picking out the furnishings for her apartment in Cameron Park, going with a flower and fish theme in the bathroom. And she loves choosing how she will spend her time.
"I can do what I want to do," she said.
For Day, 25, independence will always require some reliance on other people. Born with cerebral palsy, Day relies on help from aides to complete many of her daily routines.
Her aides help her shower and dress. They also help get her to her doctors' appointments and to her job at the Folsom Zoo.
Day, a 2000 Oak Ridge High School graduate, is known as a young woman with a fierce determination to do as much as she can on her own.
"She pushes herself really hard," said Teresa Lundquist, Day's in-home aide. "She never quits."
A Special Olympics athlete, Day is also known for her "awesome laugh" and thoughtfulness, Lundquist said.
Day is hoping Book of Dreams readers will help provide her with a chair that would enable her to shower with less assistance from aides. The chair would hold her more securely in the shower, so she could wash herself.
"She'll never tell you she can't do something," said Hillary Limb, an employment training specialist with In Alliance, an agency that provides assistance to disabled people.