Mississippi State couple rolls over roadblocks toward degrees

The rolling family entourage is a hard-to-miss sight on campus.

Rachaelle Mathis, carrying the two young children in her lap, operates a motorized wheelchair, while Roy, gripping the handle of his wife's vehicle, piggybacks a ride in his manual-powered wheelchair. Some days, Bubba, a 50-pound black Labrador/Australian shepherd mix that Roy trained, is even employed to help pull the family along.

While any number of students attend Mississippi State in the face of major personal hardships, Roy and Rachaelle Mathis are peerless. Both suffer from multiple sclerosis, the degenerative central nervous system disease for which there is neither a known cause nor cure. They are the loving parents of Matthew, 5, and Mark, 16 months. And they are nearly graduated history majors who plan to pursue additional degrees and professional careers.

They deal with these challenges by being positive thinkers and 10-penny-nail tough. Consider that when the youngest child was born, Rachaelle--Rae, to most--was in the middle of classes and just recovered from two broken legs. After she delivered, it was back to school the next week to finish the semester.

Roy and Rae met and married nearly six years ago. He is a 30-year-old Jacksonville, Fla., native and National Guard veteran who has worked in Arizona as a magazine feature editor and advertising copywriter. She is a 26-year-old Illinois native who was raised in Ripley and came to Mississippi State in the mid-1980s to major in dairy science for a year before dropping out.

When they were married in 1990, Roy was already having some MS symptoms. Rae had no idea she, too, was about to be affected, even though she now realizes that problems she had for many years were early indicators.

It was while attending a Florida community college two years ago that the couple decided to continue their studies at Mississippi State. Both knew the campus: Rae, from her earlier enrollment, and Roy, from visiting the campus often when he once lived in Columbus.

"We had also checked out Florida State and the University of Florida, as well as other colleges in the Southern part of the United States," Roy said. "However, when we put together the accessibility, the people, and the price, Mississippi State won out."

Both said the many wheelchair-accommodating facilities and relative flatness around much of campus makes traveling easier than some other places they considered. Also, the central location of the Child Development Center--the university's preschool day-care program--enables them to remain close to their children.

"I'm not trusting enough to leave my children with just anyone but I have no problem leaving them there from 7:30 in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon," Rae said.

Roy echoes her statement: "If the kids get sick or anything else goes wrong, they (CDC staff members) can get the University Police to locate us or, in an emergency, two people at the Student Support Services office are authorized to pick them up."

Even though both are in their last undergraduate year, the Mathises may continue for a while longer at Mississippi State. Rae, completing her final semester, wants to begin work immediately on a master's, with the long-range goal of securing a doctorate and teaching in college. Roy, who completed his junior year this summer, plans to seek a graduate, or law, degree.

"Our attitude is that we only get one life, so go after it," Roy said. "It doesn't matter whether you're walking, running, or riding in a wheelchair. Do what you can do."