May 7, 2015 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – Just a few years ago, RJ Tonks wondered if his dream of walking on stage to receive his diploma during Waynesburg University’s graduation would ever become a reality.

But with just a few steps Sunday afternoon, Tonks brought the 2015 graduates to their feet during an emotional commencement ceremony.

“I’m blessed with having them in my life,” Tonks said of Waynesburg’s student body that encouraged him during years of physical rehabilitation. “They all wanted to help me. I never asked anyone to help. They all volunteered.”

Tonks, who studied sports management, was 8 years old when he contracted a virus he said “attacked” his brain near the cerebellum and left a scar, causing problems with his motor skills. The ability to walk and balance began to decline after he reached puberty, and he was forced to regularly use a motorized wheelchair upon arriving as a freshman at Waynesburg’s hilly campus.

“It was my goal from Day 1 to be able to walk at graduation,” Tonks said. “But once I became wheelchair-bound, that goal kind of went by the wayside. I thought, ‘There’s no reason in keeping that goal, because it’s not going to happen now.'”

In Novemeber 2012, during his sophomore year, his family found a brain rehabilitation center in Marietta, Ga., that gave Tonks another shot at his dream. He went through regular treatments under Dr. Ted Carrick that were designed to “retrain” his brain to learn how to walk and balance again, his mother, Jani Rybacki, said.

“It’s been a dream of his and it’s been a journey for him,” Rybacki said. “To see the progress he has made, it touches your heart like nothing else.”

He made 10 trips to the rehabilitation center in Georgia and improved after every session, Tonks said. He also received a groundswell of support from the university and student body.

Friend and fellow 2015 graduate Joshuah Dains said communications students helped to raise money for initial treatments two years ago. The school’s business club held another fundraising drive last year and sold 600 T-shirts and raised $8,500, Dains said. Meanwhile, students spent hours in the gym with Tonks to exercise and encourage him to make progress before commencement.

“We had been gearing up together for that moment,” Dains said.

Dains and Tonks’ father, Ron, escorted RJ to his seat, helping him walk during the processional as they took their place before Sunday’s commencement ceremonies. They eventually settled into their seats and waited for the graduates’ names to be called.

When it was Tonks’ turn, he stood up and walked to the stage with the assistance of Dains. The other graduates began clapping and the support eventually turned into a standing ovation as Tonks reached for his diploma.

“From the entire institution, it was quite an accomplishment to see a young man set a goal and accomplish something he set his sights on,” said Pat Bristor, the university’s associate dean of students. “It was just so emotional. It was just such an achievement.”

Ron Tonks figured the moment would be special, but was shocked by the outpouring of support from those in attendance.

“I knew the students were behind him, but to see the audience stand up and give him applause was pretty moving,” he said. “If he didn’t have them following his (rehabilitation), it probably wouldn’t have happened as fast as it did.”

Dains said it took Tonks a few seconds to realize what was happening behind him, but he appreciated the response.

“Until the moment really happened, I was like ‘Oh, man!'” Dains said.

Tonks, 22, moved back to Greensburg, his hometown, this week and is searching for a job using his degree in sports management with a minor in marketing. His new dream is to work for a professional sports team focusing in either sales or marketing.

Tonks said he wants to use his achievement of walking during graduation as motivation for future endeavors.

“The feeling was indescribable to meet that goal knowing that I was once wheelchair-bound and not going to be able to do it,” Tonks said. “To meet it was pretty cool.”

His mother, Jani, thinks the steps her son took last weekend will go a long way as he continues his rehabilitation.

“The journey isn’t complete,” she said. “He has more work to do to be fully functional … but he’s on the right path.”