A student with a chronic illness took her first step in ten years at her high school graduation ceremony, where she received the outstanding award.
Nineteen-year-old Melika Ghanaati has been unable to walk independently since 2013 due to four debilitating diseases. Born with severe scoliosis and congenital muscular dystrophy, her conditions have caused muscle weakness, severe clubfoot, and recurrent kidney stones.
Throughout her life, she has alternated between using walking aids and a wheelchair, undergoing various surgeries to correct her spinal curvature. However, after a year of intensive physical therapy, Ghanaati was able to walk to her teachers at her high school graduation ceremony, receiving her diploma and two outstanding awards.
Currently studying at York University in Canada, Ghanaati expressed, “This is a very special moment for me. My teachers and closest friends were concerned for me, but I proved that all their worries were unnecessary.”
“I wanted to surprise everyone by walking on my own, but most importantly, I believed I owed it to myself.”
For Ghanaati, her scoliosis and clubfoot have been the biggest obstacles hindering her ability to walk. Before the age of 13, she underwent multiple surgeries to correct the curves and clubfoot.
Following a surgery at the age of 12, her heart briefly stopped beating. “I even had a ‘Code Blue’,” she said. “I lost a lot of blood and needed a transfusion.”
After her final surgery in 2016, doctors “forbade” her from walking. “At school, I always had a walking aid. After the surgery, I was prohibited from walking until fully healed,” she said. “It wasn’t until June 2020 that I received formal permission. However, I was instructed that if my body couldn’t handle it, I must rest.”
Ghanaati took three years to muster the confidence to see a physical therapist. She realized her graduation ceremony would be the perfect moment to take that first step.
Until July 2022, she continued with physical therapy. Her final year of high school was incredibly busy. “I tried to juggle learning from four different extracurricular clubs,” she said. “By the time I got home, I was exhausted and had to do my practice assignments to the best of my ability.”
Describing her therapeutic journey as “learning to walk like a baby,” her progress was gradual, requiring one step at a time. She engaged in exercises such as placing one foot in front of the other while holding onto a wall.
“The graduation ceremony was the goal,” she said. “I had to keep moving forward.”
To surprise others, she didn’t inform her friends or parents about practicing to walk for the graduation ceremony. However, she shared her plan with the graduation committee just in case.
“I had a discussion with the graduation committee, telling them, ‘No one knows my plan, but I want to give it a try’,” Ghanaati said. “They told me that if it was something I truly wanted to do, then I could try.”
“I think my teachers were worried I might fall.”
She was even asked if she needed a walking aid, but she was determined to walk on her own, without anyone holding her hand.
On graduation day, Ghanaati started to panic and almost gave up on her plan. “I almost changed my mind,” she said. “The special education coordinator helped me, being my backup plan in case I fell.”
“I kept telling myself in my head, ‘Don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall.'”
Ghanaati received the Future Vision Award for her academic achievements and the School Board Award for her involvement in academic and extracurricular activities.
As she walked on stage to receive her awards, she later discovered her parents, 49-year-old Marjan Simi and 56-year-old Masaud Ghanaati, were in tears. She was unaware of the standing ovation from the audience.
“I didn’t really realize at the time,” she said. “If I had, I’d start crying too. I just walked to the side from the stage. My chair was waiting for me, and I just felt, ‘Well, I did it.'”
“This is a huge success. I saw my dad wiping his tears with his jacket sleeve.”
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