A Maryland teenager who is paralyzed from the waist down saw her dreams of being a model come true when she walked the runway during New York Fashion Week, ABC News reported.
Megan Silcott's life was forever changed two years ago when she suddenly fell ill during a night out with friends.
"I had to come home, I didn't feel that great," 19-year-old Silcott told ABC News. "I went to bed and I woke up in the morning and I couldn't get out of bed. I couldn't walk."
The athlete had an undiagnosed case of mononucleosis, or mono, that resulted in her developing a neurological disorder called Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis, ADEM, which attacks the brain and spinal cord.
Silcott went from an active teenager with hopes of becoming a model to a quadriplegic overnight. But she refused to be defeated by the possibility of never walking again.
"I told myself I was going to heal from this and I was going to be able to pursue everything I wanted to pursue before," she told the station.
Doctors told her family that recovery was possible, but it "was not going to be a sprint, it was going to be a marathon," said Silcott's mother Jen.
With the help of therapy sessions at Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute, Silcott improved from being confined to a power chair to regaining mobility above her waist. She can now walk on her own with a walker, ABC News reported.
Fashion designer Nina Perdomo heard of Silcott's story and invited her to walk in her Monday show during New York Fashion Week.
"I design for a woman that is strong and knows what she wants from life," Padermo told the station. "And I feel like Megan is the perfect example of that."
Silcott received top model treatment, with full hair and makeup, before walking down the runway in Padermo gear at Manhattan's Lincoln Center.
Silcott said she wanted to show everyone "that I'm confident enough to walk down the runway with a walker."
"You know, it just goes to show that anything is possible and if you put your mind to it, it can get done," she added.
