Mountain Grove, Mo. teen on the road to recovery after spinal cord injury thanks to CMNH

Mashyla Duke is like any other 16-year-old girl, she loves make-up, swimming and music. For the past six-years she’s also had to work on living her best life as a paraplegic, after a car crash changed everything. "There's been a lot of changes and I've had to adapt to doing things different ways,” said Mashyla Duke of Mountain Grove.

Duke’s mother, Melissa James, said things changed drastically for her, too.

"I focus more on what to do next to make Shy's life better, or making things more adaptable, or what flooring works best for her chair to get around, how to arrange her room to where she can fully be as independent as possible,” James explained.

James said without the proper care, the side effects of her daughter’s injuries could have been severe.

"That's where the STEM bike came in,” began Mashyla’s mother. “We needed something to keep her legs from atrophying and keep the spasms down.”

James said without the near $18,000 STEM bike that was made possible by Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMNH), they would have been commuting to Springfield two to three times a week for treatment.

James talked about the moment she found out her daughter was going to get the tool she needed to recover properly. “Just a peace went over me because I didn't know how I was going to keep her legs, to keep sustaining their health,” she said.

Mashyla and her mother both know they have a bright future ahead thanks to their Miracle family.

James encouraged others to reach out if they need help. "Don't hesitate to ask them, because it doesn't matter where you come from, your background, what your situation is, people are there to help you and you need to just allow yourself to ask for help."

Miracle Week is celebrated during the first week of December. Those looking to donate can call (417) 268-3222 or follow the link attached with this story to donate online.