Madison Heady was diagnosed with ataxic cerebral palsy at birth and didn’t walk unassisted until she was eight. But she went on to become a national athletics silver medallist for the 1500m and set a new Australian record for her classification for the 5km race in 2020.
Later that year, Madison was in a serious car accident and had to re-learn to walk a second time. With determination, hard work and a never-give-up attitude, Madison is now back training.
Madison is a passionate advocate, educating the community on disability and the importance of inclusion. For being a strong advocate, Madison received the 2023 Western Australian of the Year award in the Youth Category.
Her dream is for people with disabilities to be given the chance to show others who they truly are and for others to open the opportunity to see the ability, not the disability.