Meet Mary

Mary was born with hydrocephalus and had her first brain surgery at Children’s of Alabama when she was one day old. She has had a total of 44 brain surgeries and has spent about a year of life at Children’s. In 2009, Mary spent a total of 88 days in the hospital and endured 15 surgeries.

Her medical condition has resulted in developmental delays, but she has not let that stop her. When she was born, we didn’t know if she would ever be able to walk or talk.  But she has not only walked…she has run!  She was a member of the cross-country team in middle school and was an inspiration to the other team members. She knew she would not finish first, but her goal was to never finish last….and she didn’t. Mary has also become a sought-after public speaker. She has spoken at numerous community meetings, universities, elementary schools, and even national disability organizations.  Mary has a series of videos on YouTube called, “The Awesome Mary Show.” Her videos tackle difficult topics with humor and compassion. She talks about why you should hire a person with a disability and how to communicate with people with disabilities.

In High School she was told that college was not an option, but she recently graduated from Mississippi State’s ACCESS program. She learned life skills and job skills and how to live an independent life. Mary has recently accepted a job at Children’s of Alabama and will be working in the cafeteria. In addition to working, Mary volunteers at Lakeshore Foundation and United Ability. Her future plans are to move into her own apartment with a roommate.

In 2019 Mary received her Magic Moments dream which was to go to the Ellen Show. She thought she was going to shoot a video at Children’s of Alabama but when she entered the room it was full of friends, nurses and even her Neurosurgeon, Dr. Jeffery Blount. The trip to LA was truly magical. In addition to being a VIP at the Ellen Show, and getting to meet Ellen in person, she also got a tour of the studio and was able to stay after the show and take photos on the set. She was able to dance in the aisle while the audience cheered, “Go Mary, Go Mary!” She also was seated in a special place in the audience that Ellen calls “Mama’s Chair.” Mary was recognized before the show started and she took a bow!

In addition to the Ellen Show, Mary was able to meet Micha Fowler, an actor who has cerebral palsy and the star of the ABC sitcom “Speechless." Mary and her friend (and moms) spent about an hour with Micha and his Mom in Micha’s trailer on the set of the show.  They also let us watch the taping of the show and let us sit in the background as extras in a basketball scene.

The entire trip was special from start to finish and made Mary feel like a celebrity!