T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY Sunny Hill Care Center resident and Class of 2006 STC High School graduate Lisa Campbell was recently crowned as Ms. Wheelchair Iowa for 2025.

TAMA — Class of 2006 South Tama County High School graduate Lisa Campbell, who currently lives across the street at Sunny Hill Care Center, has been in a wheelchair since she was five years old after being born with spina bifida, and while it has come with challenges, she’s never let it hold her back. Campbell recently received an extra special recognition as the 2025 Ms. Wheelchair Iowa.

“Actually, one of my really good friends was Ms. Wheelchair Iowa back in 2013, and she had introduced it to me. And she was like ‘Well, I really want you to try out for this.’ And I was like ‘OK, what could it hurt, you know?’ So I did, and sure enough, I got it,” she said.

During the process, Campbell had to complete an interview with the governing board for the award and fill out a general application before she was announced as the winner later that same day. In a recent interview with the T-R, she reflected on the journey to where she is today and accepting the aforementioned challenges she has faced.

“It’s not as bad as people make it out to be. It’s really not. I can do a lot of things. Actually, when I was a preteen, my mom got me private swimming lessons, so now I am able to swim unassisted,” Campbell said.

After growing up close by in Toledo, Campbell has lived at Sunny Hill for the last three years and enjoyed her time at the care center. Her advice to others who struggle with various obstacles in life is simple: don’t be afraid to ask for help.

“Everybody needs help. We all can do stuff, just in a different way, and I just think that we all need to be treated equal,” she said.

As for future plans, the reigning Ms. Wheelchair Iowa hopes to travel more — though she isn’t sure where just yet — and she counts her mother, Colleen Darrah-Probasco, as “a very big inspiration” and “my number one fan.”

The Ms. Wheelchair Iowa competition relies on free will donations to continue from year to year, and more information can be found at https://mswheelchairiowa.com/.