Jocelyn Dettloff grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English Literature. She spent the next few years working odd jobs and traveling around the world—Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Sub-Saharan Africa. In 1997 in Namibia, Africa, she acquired a spinal cord injury while sledding down a sand dune. She went to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan for intensive inpatient rehabilitation and has remained in Grand Rapids ever since.
After adjusting to her new circumstances, Jocelyn developed a career in fundraising and is a Development Director for the Mary Free Bed Foundation. She remains an avid traveler, enjoys playing tennis, seeking adventure and being an eternal student of the lessons life has to teach.
Community involvement is an important aspect of Jocelyn’s life and she is a passionate advocate for people with disabilities. She sits on the boards of Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum and is president for the Grand Rapids Federation of University of Michigan Alumnae Clubs. Her memoir, It Rained in the Desert: One woman’s story of spirit and resilience, tells the story of her accident and adjusting to life on wheels.