Brittany McCormick (25), a keynote speaker from Paarl, was born premature, at just 25 weeks, and was given very little chance of survival.
Attached to “every pipe and tube imaginable”, she spent the first three months of her life in the intensive care unit, where her anxious parents Hadley (59) and Anthea (53) watched over her.
At the age of 1 McCormick was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy Quadriplegia of high muscle tone, told she would never be able to walk, and that living past the age of 18 would be a “miracle”.
Defying the odds, she learnt to crawl at 2, and with the help of physiotherapy during lockdown she can now even walk short distances on her treadmill with little assistance, which is a major triumph.
“I had come so far with learning to walk that I didn’t want to backtrack, so my family and I kept it going throughout the lockdown,” Brittany related. “During this time I felt I needed a challenge, so I took part in the virtual races of the justice league and completed the entire series. Fast forward a year and a bit, I’m still learning to walk unassisted.”
Putting her best foot forward
Towards the end of 2021 the pipes beneath McCormick’s wheelchair cracked and were in dire need of a service. Spending 10 days without her wheels, she was forced to confront a rather humbling reality.
“I understood, first-hand, how reliant I am on my wheelchair, and how limiting life can be if your mobility is taken away from you. I began thinking of the people who aren’t in the financial position to afford a wheelchair, let alone get it repaired. This struck a string within my heart.”
Challenging her will and her abilities, McCormick came up with an idea to give at least six individuals their own wheelchair, by walking 100 km on her treadmill over the next six months.
To make her charitable dream come true, she launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy with a fundraising goal of R70 000 to benefit Paarl School in Brackenfell, as well as the underprivileged beneficiaries most in need, who she will select.
“Walking 100 km would be a mean feat for an able-bodied person, and I know if I want to reach the finish line, I will have to work twice as hard,” McCormick said.
With everything I do in my life, I hope to inspire others not to doubt and limit themselves, and show that with hard work, amazing things can happen.”
Since the launch of her campaign on 4 April McCormick has raised almost R5 000 with kind contributions from seven donors.
For every R8 500 raised, she will fund a wheelchair for someone in need.
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To support McCormick’s campaign on BackaBuddy, visit https://www.backabuddy.co.za/brittany-mccormick
