Keysville Resident Named 2017 MDA Virginia State Ambassador

By April Hall, Staff Writer

KEYSVILLE – The Greater VA MDA recently announced that Ms. Angela “Angie” Wilkerson, a 43-year-old, lively and vivacious individual that is living with MD, has been named the 2017 Virginia State Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Angie, who has been a Keysville resident since 2003, grew up in a small town in South West Virginia. She is a 1992 graduate of Alleghany High School, a 1995 graduate of Dabney S. Lancaster Community College and a 1997 graduate of James Madison University with a BS in Social Work.

Angie has used a wheelchair since 1997 due to a rare neuromuscular disorder that she was diagnosed with at the age of 12, called Friedreich’s Ataxia. Along with the neuromuscular disorder, Angie deals with overcoming other challenges including a learning disability, slight speech impediment, a rare chronic nerve pain disorder and arthritis. She has been devoted to seeing the blessings in life and showing people how to overcome their own challenges, whether it is through mentoring, advocating, speaking or writing. “I learned the disability doesn’t make the person,” said Angie. “You can choose to be the person you want to be.”

In addition to being chosen as this year’s MDA Virginia State Ambassador, Ms. Wilkerson served as Ms. Wheelchair Virginia in 2005, where after her reign, she was an Assistant Coordinator and then moved to an AmeriCorps member, serving the Ms. Wheelchair Virginia program as their Contestant Coordinator/Mentor. She is also active in her church, has a long history and passion for working with children and youth in her church and community, has an adventurous side and spends her free time in a swimming pool, traveling, trying out new recipes and watching movies.

Angie is currently pursuing her dream of being a motivational speaker, “I want to make a difference in a big way,” said Angie. “I want to use advocating, speaking, writing and my people skills to help others.” In 2011 she created the “Wheels to Motivate” website as an avenue for public speaking (www.wheels2motivate.weebly.com) and has given speeches at four conferences to date, she also co-founded “WheelPower”, a group for women in wheelchairs in the Farmville community in 2013. “I love to surprise myself with what I am capable of,” said Wilkerson. “I laugh often and I celebrate life by living!”

As the new State Ambassador, Angie will make public appearances throughout the state, representing kids and adults with muscular dystrophy, ALS and related life-threatening diseases that severely weaken muscle strength and mobility.

“A stranger doesn’t stay a stranger long with me,” said Wilkerson. “I try to make each person feel special and get to know them, strangers are just friends I haven’t met yet.”

To arrange for Ms. Wilkerson to speak to your group, call her at 434-736-2122 or email her at wheels2motivate@verizon.net.

Photo by Kenneth Newton