A record result at MAD25!
Thanks to the remarkable generosity shown at the 25th anniversary MAD GALA, we achieved a record fundraising result at MAD25 — allowing MAD to continue helping families access the equipment and [...]
In June 2023, 13-year-old Harriet was warming up for basketball training when she felt a strange pop in her back. Her legs gave way immediately and within minutes, she was paralysed from the belly button down. Within days, she was diagnosed with a rare spinal cord stroke—one of only a handful seen at the Royal Children’s Hospital in two decades. Doctors told her she would never walk again.
Harriet spent three months in hospital adjusting to life in a wheelchair. But when it came time to go home, her family faced a new challenge—she didn’t have a chair that allowed her to move independently.
That’s when the MAD Foundation stepped in. MAD arranged for the rental of a manual day chair, covering the cost from July 2023 until her custom-built chair arrived in early 2024.
That support made a huge difference. As Harriet says, “MAD came into our lives during a desperate and traumatic time… They helped in a way that made a real, immediate difference.”
Since then, Harriet has thrown herself into wheelchair basketball. She now trains in the Victorian State Development Program and continues to push forward with strength and determination which has seen her selected for both the Victorian Junior Wheelchair Basketball Team and the Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball League Victoria Wonders team.
Harriet recently became a MAD Beneficiary Ambassador, sharing her story to raise awareness and help others understand the importance of timely, practical support. We’re proud to have her as part of the MAD family.
