Magenta Harris’s incredible tale of survival in the foster system on Gold Coast with Ann Wason Moore for The Interview

Surrendered by her mother as a baby, this Gold Coast woman has lived in seven different foster houses. Now, at 18, she has taken control of her own narrative, an incredible tale of heartbreak, pain and triumph.

Magenta can now tell her own story. Picture Glenn Hampson

THIS is Magenta’s story.

It has always been her story. But this is the first time she has been allowed to tell it.

Surrendered by her mother as a baby, Magenta Harris has lived in seven different foster houses, rarely finding a place to call home. Now, having just turned 18, she is legally considered an adult, and allowed to take ownership of her own narrative.

And it’s an incredible tale: heartbreak, resilience, pain and triumph.

Magenta was born with cerebral palsy, a physical disability that affects movement and posture. She uses a wheelchair and has poor vision, but her intellect is uncompromised. More than that, it’s razor sharp. Her goal to one day write her own book and become a professional public speaker seems well within her grasp.

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Magenta Harris, 18, has cerebral palsy but she doesn’t let that stop her. Picture Glenn Hampson

Emotionally, despite the years of insecurity in foster care and the challenges that come with her physical disability — or perhaps because of them, she is incredibly mature.

With the support of her final foster mum Claire Dalton, a woman who at long last has provided the security and safety of unconditional love, Magenta is hoping to make the first moves towards independence, a bittersweet irony given her history of self-reliance.

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Her dream is to finally find her own place to call home. One that is physically accessible for her wheelchair, one that has rooms to share with other young adults like herself, one that is located close to Claire and the friends and environment she loves in the southern Gold Coast.

Just like any 18-year-old, she’s ready to stretch her wings. And it’s all the more profound given the brutal ways they were clipped in her childhood.

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Magenta at her Currumbin factory. Picture Glenn Hampson

“In one of my placements, they didn’t want me anymore but they decided not to tell me. So I was at school that day and they just had someone take me to the school office and I was told I was going to a new house,” says Magenta, who last year was captain of Currumbin Special School.

“So I didn’t get any of my stuff, I didn’t get to say goodbye … I had to learn from school at the age of eight.”

Even at the age of 16, after living with a foster carer for seven years, she was told just before Christmas that they were done. It was time to find a new family. Fortunately, she found Claire.

Just last year, after Magenta met her biological mother for the first time, she was again let down.

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It’s little wonder she’s ready to start life on her own terms. What is more remarkable is her positive attitude, her ability to pull herself together and not just get on with it, but do it with a smile on her face.

“I only met my biological mum a year ago. All I wanted from her was a photo … I just wanted to know who I look like. But we ended up meeting … and we look exactly alike,” she says.

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“At first it was a shock, I didn’t know I had siblings, I had no information on my family. But then it was amazing — I finally knew where some of my personality traits came from, I felt like I had some answers to who I am.

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“But we don’t really keep up now. She’s, how do I say this … she’s unreliable.

“It was close to school graduation when we first met and I texted her asking if she wanted to come and she said ‘yes’.

“She said she bought the tickets for graduation but she didn’t show up. She didn’t give any reasons. It just clicked for me that maybe that was as far as we were going to go. We had a meeting after that where I sort of questioned it, but I didn’t get any answers. Since then, we just drifted back apart. I’ve accepted it. I’ve had worse.”

Claire, wiping tears away, says as heartbreaking as that experience was, she was amazed at Magenta’s resilience and bravery.

“At the graduation, as school captain, Magenta had to give the speech. Somehow she kept herself together so that only people close to her knew she was upset. She just managed to hold herself together when in fact she was devastated. But her speech was beautiful,” says Claire.

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“It’s hard to think back to the night. There was an empty chair at the front where her mother should have been sitting. Magenta was so brave, but she was shattered.

“We had big chats after that about how you can’t change someone, you can’t make them who you want them to be.

“It hurt but she took it in her stride. Magenta is a beautiful girl, she brings nothing but joy to our home. She never gets down — or only for the briefest moment. Then she’s like, right, I’m done — moving on.

“People like Magenta can change the world.”

In fact, that’s also on Magenta’s list of things to do in life.

As well as building a dream home for young adults with disabilities, she’s already started her own business.

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Magenta makes lanyards and keyrings as part of Givingbak. Picture Glenn Hampson

The young entrepreneur creates handmade lanyards and key rings as part of Givingbak, guided by business mentor Peta Davison, with the aim of using the proceeds to help others — as well as supporting herself.

Magenta says employment options for people with disabilities are extremely limited.

“Most people take a DES (Disability Employment Service) package, but the work is typically monotonous and not challenging,” she says.

“For some people that suits them, but I just knew it wasn’t for me. At the same time, with my vision impairment and wheelchair, I know it would be difficult for a ‘normal’ workspace to hire me.

“I’ve always been my own boss in a way, so this suits me. I love being creative. I also want to write my own book one day and I really love public speaking.

“I feel like I could help a lot of people. I’d like to be an advocate. I know what it’s like when people ignore you or only speak to your carer even though they can see that you were just talking. I want to remind people like me that they are just that — people. We deserve to be here.

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“I’ve had some knocks in my life and I’m not afraid to be brutally honest about my limitations and expectations. But I also won’t accept less-than. This is my life and I will make it the best that I can.”

Part of Magenta’s plan is to find someone to share her life with.

As usual, she admits she doesn’t think that will be easy.

“In my NDIS plan I had to write down some goals and … this is embarrassing … I said I want to travel on my honeymoon to Japan,” she laughs.

“I would like to meet someone, I would like to date — but I know I’m not your normal girlfriend.

“Dating is hard because I’m always thinking what are they going to think about my disability? I’m not the girl they can just go out with.

“It’s very hard when you’re competing with girls where you’re like … oh, they can walk.”

Like her mind, Magenta’s sense of humour is sharp.

She can find the funny side even when she’s delivered some seriously bad news.

“There was a doctor I saw when I was about 14 or so who told me how I’d really decline physically once I hit 16 and that the long-term outlook was … well, just say he needs to work on the bedside manner,” she says.

“But I’m 18 and I feel like I’ve improved if anything. If I stay positive, I feel better.”

While positivity helps, it can only go so far when it comes to finding a house — but Magenta has a team helping her to make that dream come true.

In fact, while she may not have a biological family backing her, she is surrounded and supported by a network of mentors across the community, people like Claire, Peta and the team from Condev Construction — who aim to help her with the challenge of bricks and mortar.

“I feel like I’m ready to go out on my own but finding the perfect place is really hard,” she says.

“There are some places on the northern Gold Coast that work, but then I’m isolated from life which is on the southern end.

“Then I’ll find somewhere in the right place but with the wrong accessibility. Or I’d be sharing with people who are much older, or who are not intellectually the same.

“I’d love to give options to others people like me who have such limited choice. No one wants to end up in an aged care facility, but sometimes that’s the only option. It’s not right.”

“Finding the right flatmates is really important so that we can support each other mentally and emotionally. It’s not about being picky, it’s about choosing your family. It’s important.”

This is Magenta’s story.

And make no mistake, she will write her own happy ending.