Wheelchair-bound teen with cerebral palsy surprised family by walking at her graduation

Lexi Wright is a 19-year-old suffering from cerebral palsy who surprised her family and friends by walking across the stage at her high school graduation to accept her diploma.

Ravenna Record-Courier reported that the teenager shocked everyone at her school in Ravenna, Ohio, on June 6, 2018.

Wright walked across the stage at Ravenna High School graduation ceremony. She got out of her wheelchair, gripped a walker and went on to accept her diploma.

Everyone present at the event began applauding as the teenager did the unthinkable.

Wright’s mother, Dede, was emotional seeing her daughter walk for the first time in her life. Doctors had predicted that the girl would likely die within a year of her birth and would never walk.

She revealed that she had no idea about the graduation surprise and only realized when people around her started to move her feet on the wheelchair. She said that the standing ovation Wright received melted her heart.

The girl was determined to achieve this feat and had practiced for an entire year in secret. A physical therapist at school helped her and they practiced for at least once a week.

“I thought to myself: Wouldn’t it be cool if I walked across the stage and received my diploma. My hands and my feet were shaking, but as I was walking I felt amazing.”

Lexi Wright, Fox 8, June 6, 2018.

The teenager has cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder which impairs ‘movement associated with abnormal reflexes, floppiness or rigidity of the limbs and trunk, abnormal posture, involuntary movements, unsteady walking, or some combination of these,’ according to the Mayo Clinic.

Those with the disorder could have problems swallowing and have eye muscle imbalance.

Dede had always told her daughter that she could achieve anything she wanted. She has made sure Wright knows that “sky is the limit” and does not want her to think that she cannot do what other people do.

Dede said that the youngster has always been a determined girl, capable of achieving anything she sets her mind to.

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