Mackenziee steps from wheels to heels after for Year 12 formal
Mackenziee Lawler is Jimboomba’s modern-day Cinderella. She will go to the ball wearing high heels – thanks to the help of a popular physio.
Logan
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Mackenziee Lawler is Jimboomba’s modern-day Cinderella. The 17-year-old, like many other teens, has a gown and some sparkly high heels for her year 12 formal in May.
But just like Cinderella, she has not worn the shoes before the big night.
Mackenziee has cerebral palsy and has spent a lot of time in a wheelchair and her formal heels are the first pair of shoes she’s ever owned.
Over the past 10 years, she’s learned to walk in her two-and-a-half-inch high heels to make sure she could live out her dream of walking into her school formal.
After lots of persistence and help from senior physiotherapist Tim McGowan, Mackenziee will walk into the event with her friends from Emmaus College in a beautiful dress and a pair of high heels.
Mr McGowan and his super-keen debutante have been working together most days in preparation to get her on her feet for the event.
When Mackenziee was in year 3, she had operations from her hips to her ankles and mum Raelene said the road forward seemed hard.
It was then the family committed to making sure Mackenziee would walk by her year 12 formal “whatever effort was required”.
Her big move from wheels to heels started with small steps using crutches with the aid of a knee brace.
She has also undergone more than 40 procedures to help her move and walk.
Mr McGowan has also joined the spirit of the formal and ordered a pair of custom-made size 13 pink and sparkly high heels to wear alongside her on May 1.
In an effort to repay her physio, Mackenziee nominated him for Juiced TV’s Super Hero Award, supported by QSuper.
Last month, he was revealed as the sixth hero of the Juiced TV Super Hero Awards Program in a heartfelt Juiced TV segment.
Juiced TV’s Super Hero Awards is an initiative of QSuper and Juiced TV to recognise the outstanding work of unsung heroes at the Queensland Children’s Hospital.
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