Riley Turner spent 12 years without a diagnosis before her family finally received an extraordinary answer: she was the 12th known case in the world with her rare genetic condition.
In this episode of the Wheel With It Podcast, Riley and her dad, Pastor Josh Turner, share her remarkable story—from doctors initially believing she had spinal muscular atrophy and telling her family she might only live a year, to eventually receiving her diagnosis and discovering her own voice.
Josh shares the emotional story of the first time Riley spoke after her family had been told her vocal cords weren't strong enough for her to speak. Today, Riley is pursuing a degree in ministry and hopes to become a preacher.
We also talk candidly about disability stereotypes, faith, Medicaid waivers, the challenges that forced Riley's family to move from Florida to Georgia, disability-related marriage and financial issues, and what needs to change within the Medicaid system.
Timestamps
00:00 Podcast Update
00:59 Meet Riley & Josh Turner
01:13 Riley’s Story & Calling to Ministry
02:07 Meet Pastor Josh Turner
03:05 Riley’s 12-Year Diagnosis Journey
04:13 The 12th Known Case in the World
05:29 Finding Meaning in the Number 12
05:52 The Craziest Thing an Able-Bodied Person Has Said to Riley
07:12 The Incredible Story of Riley Speaking for the First Time
09:21 “It Was a Full-On Miracle”
09:43 Riley Now Preaches
09:43 Coming to Terms With Riley’s Diagnosis
10:18 Losing Medicaid & Moving From Florida to Georgia
10:37 How a New Diagnosis Affected Riley’s Medicaid Waiver
11:25 Navigating Medicaid Waivers
11:39 Why the Turner Family Moved to Georgia
12:05 Disability, Welfare Reform & the Marriage Penalty
12:44 Being Told to Divorce on Paper
12:53 Faith, Family Values & Trusting God
13:46 The Most Annoying Disability Stereotype
15:11 What Needs to Change About Medicaid Waivers
15:53 Medicaid Fraud & the Nick Shirley Investigations
16:51 Hope for Medicaid Reform
16:59 Where to Follow Riley & Josh
17:53 Final Thoughts
18:06 Outro
Connect with Josh and Riley:
https://joshbturner.com/
https://www.instagram.com/joshuaturner/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/_rileyturner8_?igsi=YmR0eDRqeHFobGFn
https://www.10tenproject.com/
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📂 Want More Fascinating Conversations?
Explore our curated playlists featuring powerful stories, advocacy, inspiration, spiritual conversations, reaction videos, and more:
⚖️ Criminal Justice Reform
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk9MJNQYshE6ke7HUTAl7fcrax-OVYdJp
🙏 Spiritual Teachers
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk9MJNQYshE5uE2a1bVG9KODAIg8UUWUB
♿ Advocacy
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk9MJNQYshE6l0w4BTLfqx-n7MqaDVW5M
💼 Disabled Entrepreneurs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk9MJNQYshE4T_mODk0SCVZBdz6FZ8oSA
🎬 Nick Shirley Reaction Videos
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk9MJNQYshE7FtrAhau70oOuvpIXQSB08
▶️ All Reaction Videos
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd-iwC2fweRE&si=CAw_ndsOzVttmDdO
✨ Inspiration
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLk9MJNQYshE7KG0ZtMeHbnp05hRjRT18h
Find out more about our fight to reform welfare at welfarereformnow.com
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