Alexandria man finds strength despite disability

Dec. 23—ALEXANDRIA — For Royce Jones, losing the strength to walk independently at age 14 was heartbreaking.

Knowing he'd never recover was devastating.

"I was going in between different class periods and it was really kind of like a light switch was starting to turn off," Jones recalled.

Jones was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a condition in which the body's muscles become weaker, not stronger, over time.

Some patients lose the ability to walk; others die at an early age.

Jones has the condition's Type 3, meaning he will likely have a normal life expectancy.

He was determined to live a life that is as normal as possible.

Jones dreamed of walking across the stage for graduation at Tri Central Middle/High School. However, that would be difficult given his condition.

In August 2020, Jones clasped his walker as he made his way across the gymnasium floor.

"I was nervous," his mother, Sheral, recalled. "I didn't want him to fall. That was my biggest fear."

His father, Brian, walked behind him to make sure he stayed upright as the crowd roared its approval.

The now-22-year-old Jones went on to Purdue University and joined the FarmHouse fraternity, where he made several committed friendships.

Jones said this stood in stark contrast to his high school experience. He lost many of his close friends after his family moved to Alexandria, despite attending the same high school.

Jones graduated from Purdue Dec. 17 with a bachelors degree in agribusiness.

In late January, he will relocate to Peoria, Illinois to work for Caterpillar. He will be living independently.

He credits his independence to a regular spinal injection, support from his family and his strong Christian faith.

Follow Caleb Amick on Twitter @AmickCaleb. Contact him at caleb.amick@heraldbulletin.com or 765-648-4254.