Daughter's cerebral palsy prompts Heidi Shoecraft to study exercise physiology

A central Queensland mother has spent seven years studying exercise physiology after her daughter Maia was diagnosed with cerebral palsy

Transcript

00:00Heidi Shoecraft is her daughter's biggest supporter.

00:05Come on Maya, come on, let's go.

00:08When Maya was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a one-year-old,

00:12the qualified accountant decided on a different career path.

00:16I realised how much movement would make a big difference to Maya's life,

00:20so I then continued my education in and around that

00:23and completed a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science

00:27and then went on to do my Masters in Exercise Physiology.

00:31It took the mother of three seven years,

00:34studying remotely from the small central Queensland town of Theodore

00:38and applied what she'd learned to Maya's daily routine.

00:42Turn around, back and down, hop up.

00:46Good work.

00:47Every morning we would run sometimes,

00:50on like today, Mondays, we'd go to a spin class.

00:55The now 12-year-old has defied doctors' expectations,

00:59not just walking but running.

01:01The national cross-country champion has a swag of medals

01:05and her sights set on a big dream.

01:08Let's just keep on training, hopefully get to Olympics.

01:11She's definitely reached a lot of goals.

01:14Heidi has also improved health outcomes

01:17for countless other patients in rural Queensland

01:20who may have otherwise had to travel hundreds of kilometres for treatment.

01:25Her exercise physiology practice has been a welcome addition

01:29in the cattle and cropping town of Theodore.

01:31When you live in small rural towns,

01:33you realise how little access there is to allied health professionals.

01:37I think a really good health professional believes so much in what they do

01:42that they put their literally heart, soul and family into it.

01:47Proving a mother's love knows no bounds.