In my Classic Collection novel, Oklahoma Exile, the main character’s younger brother suffers leg injuries in an accident. For a time, he must use a wheel chair. Serena feels the accident was all her fault and suffers under a load of guilt. While Kris undergoes rehabilitation, Serena is sent to live with her Oklahoma farmer relatives.

When Kris and their mother come to the farm for a visit, Serena looks at the steep porch stairs of the farmhouse; then looks at Kris’s wheelchair. She realizes, at that moment, she will never look at a set of stairs the same, ever again.

In Part I of this  blog, you met Christian artist, author, singer, and disability-advocate, Joni Eareckson Tada. In Part II, you’ll meet a teen who, due to a traffic accident became paralyzed from her chest down. MacKenzie Clare’s life changed in a moment of time — much like Kris’s did in my novel, Oklahome Exile. MacKenzie was only ten at the time of her accident.

Months of therapy ensued for MacKenzie, where she had to work hard to regain control of her legs. It was painstaking and grueling, but she was determined and committed.

Recently, MacKenzie fulfilled a dream that seemed almost impossible for a teen who was “wheelchair-enabled.” She landed a modeling assignment! In the photo below she’s wearing a specially-designed mermaid tail.

MacKinzie’s amazing story serves to encourage anyone who faces extreme challenges in their life–whether teen or an adult.

Learn more about MacKenzie HERE! 

PS: Oklahoma Exile is title #4 in the Norma Jean Lutz Classic Collection. You can read Chapter 1 of Oklahoma Exile. Click HERE. Instant free download!