Paralysed teen makes for the perfect mermaid

This article is more than 12 months old

Jun 09, 2014 07:56 pm

She thought her dream of becoming a model was over.

A car accident when she was 10 left Mackenzie Clare paralysed from the chest down.

But one photographer's surprising request changed the 19-year-old's world.

Would you like to be a mermaid?

Photographer Kerri Lane spotted Miss Clare while she was out for dinner in Leesburg Town in Virginia and thought she would make the perfect mermaid.

But she only realised the teen was paralysed when she stood up to approach her, reported Huffington Post.

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But that did not change the photographer's mind.

"It's not something you usually see for someone her age so it was a shock. But at the same time it would be phenomenal," Myfoxdc.com quoted Ms Lane as saying.

The special moment

It took hours of preparation. Ms Lane's son had to construct a special mermaid tail with floating boards inside to keep Miss Clare up, reported Mail Online.

But it was all worth it.

"It made me feel so special and good about myself and strong and proud," Miss Clare told Myfoxdc.com.

"Yeah, it's starting to feel real that maybe I could pursue that (dream) and be one of the first models in a wheelchair."