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