Cheryl Voneps, 61, defies her multiple sclerosis by living the way she wants.

Her home is an RV on Hunnell Road. She has a wheelchair at her disposal, but she doesn’t use it. Despite learning a year and a half ago that she would lose her ability to both walk and talk, Voneps doesn’t plan to lose her independence anytime soon.

“I’ve had it for a long time. And I don’t let it get to me,” Voneps said of her condition. “Mind over matter. As long as my mind works, I’m doing great.”

Voneps has gone by her Apache given name, Shadow of a Woman, or Shadow for short, her entire life. It was bestowed upon her because she was the first girl born to her mother who had seven children.

“Shadow of a Woman,” Voneps said. “Because Shadow of a Woman is the Indian given name. And I don’t like Cheryl, I go by Shadow.”

She said her Apache name is a big part of her identity. She’s half Apache, and in addition to giving her strength, her name connects her with her heritage and the stories that surround it.

Voneps, originally from Southern California, moved to Deschutes County about six years ago and has lived on Hunnell Road for a couple years. In California, she was happily married to her late husband and has four children, she said.

Voneps said she misses her husband, who passed away two years ago.

“We were together 14 years, and never fought one day,” she said of her late husband.

It was a Saturday on Hunnell Road, and Voneps stood in the shade under a tent near the water spigot installed on the east side of the road to provide running water to area homeless residents. People went about their business, some on bikes, as police cars drove up and down the block.

Across the street, next to Voneps’ trailer, a generator whirred. Her wheelchair sat next to the generator in the sun, unused.

Voneps said she was offered the chance to enter an assisted living home, but said she wasn’t interested.

“I’m not going to no home. I said, I can walk, talk and feed myself, and I don’t need nobody else to do it for me,” Voneps said.

Other than her condition, she said she has a pretty good life living with her companion, a 3-year-old cat named Garfield. The orange-hued tabby recently stole her teeth and hid them somewhere in the RV, but despite his antics, she loves her whiskered friend.

She mostly lives an independent life, Voneps said, but said her neighbors help her out when she needs it, such as with groceries or getting gas for her RV. She said her neighbors also look out for her, especially when certain unsavory individuals come around, she said.

Down the block, a police officer patrolled the street on foot, peeking into tents, evidently searching for someone. Residents remarked that police activity in the area is a normal part of the daily routine.

One of Voneps’ biggest hopes is to eventually get away from Hunnell Road and find a proper home to live in, but not without Garfield, she said. Despite aspirations for a bigger, better home, she said she has it pretty good.

“If I wasn’t happy, I wouldn’t be here. Therefore, I must be pretty happy.”

She said part of staying positive is constantly keeping her mind busy. That is the key, she said, to being happy.

“Honestly, it’s not as bad as you might think, it’s rather funny,” she said of her situation. “So, that’s the way I look at it. I have plenty of fun, and I’m always doing something interesting. As long as your mind works, you got it made.”

Voneps had one message for people who might judge her and her neighbors for their lifestyle.

“People just need to realize that just because we’re living in a vehicle or something that we’re bums,” she said. “We’re not, we still have a mind, we still have manners, and we still have a goal in life. And that’s what people need to understand.”

Who are the real people impacted by skyrocketing housing prices, decisions about homeless shelters or plans to sweep informal camps? The Bulletin wants to offer insight by telling their stories through the series Faces of Homelessness. Every two weeks this year, Bulletin reporters will introduce readers to a different homeless person. We are here to tell their stories.

For suggestions on how to help the region’s residents experiencing homelessness, contact the Homeless Leadership Coalition by email at info@cohomeless.org.