Joyce Vacura could hardly stand still Aug. 14 as she waited for her daughter, Ariana, to return from taking her driver's test.
Every few seconds she would scan around the empty parking lot, but for about 20 minutes, Ariana's 2016 Dodge Caravan was nowhere to be seen.
Finally, Ariana and Paul Smith, examining and inspection specialist with the Duluth exam station, pulled up.
Joyce couldn't look.
“Is she crying? Smiling? I just want to know if she passed,” she said, unable to turn around and glance at her daughter.
Finally, Smith exited the vehicle.
“She's all yours,” he told Joyce.
Confused, the nervous mother asked if Ariana passed.
Smith smiled and nodded in agreement.
Releasing screams of joy, Joyce gave Smith a big hug before embracing her daughter. Ariana's smile stretched from nearly ear-to-ear.
Passing a drivers test is an important milestone in many teenagers' lives, but for Ariana, who was born with TAR syndrome – a rare genetic disorder that is characterized by the absence of the radius bone in the forearm - it's a moment she was unsure would ever come.
“Even after I got my permit, I was a little (skeptical),” the 18-year-old admitted. “It was so difficult... I cried a lot... I prayed a lot.”
But all the tears were worth it the following day when Ariana was able to leave her house – alone – for the first time ever.
“I've never driven a vehicle and been the only one in it,” she said. “It felt a little weird.”
Joyce said her daughter's new independence brings relief for them both. As a single parent, Joyce said it wasn't always easy to leave her job to transport Ariana to work or other activities.
“My breaks are only so long and my work schedule is tight,” she said.
Now, Ariana can come and go as she pleases – a goal for which she has worked a long time.
“I want to go see friends and family on my own,” she said. “Finally, I get to do that.”
Gaining independence
The process toward the first step of independence for Ariana was much more extensive than for most people her age. While she, too, had to complete a written permit test, have so many behind-the-wheel hours, and pass the final test, there was much more involved for the teen.
In September 2016, Ariana's cognitive and physical abilities were assessed by the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute in Minneapolis. The center serves people with disabilities and those recovering from serious injuries such as a brain injury, stroke or spinal cord injury. It provides physical rehabilitation therapy and a variety of independent living services.
“They determined she'd be able to drive, but she would need some tools to do it,” Joyce said.
Ariana eventually received a prosthetic arm for her right arm the following spring. Then, during the summer months of 2017, the teen received 17 driving lessons with Courage Kenny officials using her prosthetic.
“She ended up having more lessons than they originally thought she would need, but they wanted to make sure she was ready,” Joyce said. “After 17, they signed off that she was ready to drive.”
Next challenge
After extensive driving lessons, the next challenge arose: Finding a vehicle. Typically, newly-licensed drivers don't receive new vehicles, but because whatever Ariana drove would require more than $20,000 worth of modifications, she needed a vehicle with low mileage, that wasn't very old and would be reliable.
Joyce said the models Ariana preferred couldn't be modified.
“The company that modified it wanted something they had a blueprint for – something they'd done before,” Joyce said. “They told us they could do any kind of van.”
A van wasn't high on the teen's priority list, but it came down to either that or nothing.
“I wasn't happy about the van at first,” Ariana said. “But I realized I was driving a van or I wasn't driving. That's what my mind came to. At least it was something.”
Local fundraisers were held to cover the cost of the van, which was modified with pedal extensions, a back-up emergency system, a voice-activated control system and steering assist.
“Steering assist is only 50 percent power steering,” Joyce said. “With full power steering, she's unable to steer the vehicle with her prosthetic.”
Coming together
After a long two-year road, Joyce and Ariana were noticeably emotional last week as they drove off to the local Falls License Bureau to have Ariana's picture taken for her driver's license, making this part of her journey to independence official.
“She's going to drive off to college like she's supposed to,” Joyce said, smiling. "I'm so proud of her."
Ariana will begin classes at Rainy River Community College next week and hopes to eventually leave International Falls to continue her studies either in Duluth or Bemidji.
“My next goal is to go away for college out of town and live on my own,” Ariana said. “I can do it. I can do anything I put my mind to.”
