Front and Center: MacKenzie Maier
Published on Monday, July 21, 2025
By: Annie Oeth, aoeth@umc.edu
Photos By: Melanie Thortis/ UMMC Communications
For MacKenzie Maier, nursing is more than a career — it’s a calling. And not even a stage four cancer diagnosis in childhood or a life-changing spinal cord injury could keep her from answering it.
Today, Maier is a registered nurse in outpatient pediatric dermatology clinics at the Face and Skin Center in Ridgeland and the Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower at Children's of Mississippi.
“When I found out that Dr. (Thy) Huynh was a pediatric dermatologist, I knew I wanted the job,” Maier said. “I always wanted to work in pediatrics.”
Maier, a Louisiana native who now lives in Madison, knew at an early age that she wanted to become a nurse.
Diagnosed with a stage four neuroblastoma at 4, Maier was treated at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where research was underway on her condition.
“I still remember bits and pieces of that time,” she said, “and I never once thought I wasn’t going to make it. I always thought, ‘I’m going to get better.’”
She did, growing up to attend the Louisiana Tech University School of Nursing at Ruston. Two days before her graduation with an associate degree, Maier would need to draw on her inner strength again. A car accident in Ruston May 18, 2023, left her with a spinal cord injury that paralyzed her initially from the chest down.
“I was told I might never walk again,” she said. “I saw that as a challenge. I could either wake up and be sad and depressed, or I could wake up and fight and work on being the best version of myself.”
Maier often reflected on a Bible verse, Philippians 4:13, to get her through her fight against childhood cancer. “When things get tough, I remind myself of this verse and remember that whatever I set my mind and heart on, I can achieve.”
First, she used a wheelchair until she began regaining function. “I learned to walk again, slowly,” she said.
With injuries at the C6 and C7 vertebrae, where nerves critical for wrist extension, forearm movement and hand movements are located, Maier also had to overcome injuries to perform nursing duties.
“I knew I couldn’t work if I couldn’t perform nursing skills,” she said, “so I had to get creative. Being able to put on rubber gloves was so hard – I had taken for granted putting on gloves.”
After a week and a half as an inpatient at Oschner LSU Health Academic Medical Center in Shreveport, Maier was moved to Touro Infirmary in New Orleans for inpatient rehabilitation for a month. Her commencement ceremony was held at Touro in June 2023, with U.S. Sen. Dr. Bill Cassidy as keynote speaker.
“You’ll be such a great nurse,” Cassidy said during his remarks. “All the adversity you’ve had will bless somebody in the future.”
After outpatient care at Methodist Rehabilitation Center, Maier was ready to continue recovery on her own and continue her nursing career. Knowing she wanted to work at UMMC, she joined the Medical Center when a job opened in December 2024.
Cassidy’s prediction was correct, as Maier empathizes with patients and their families because of her own experiences as a patient.
“I’ve seen how hard it is to be a patient,” she said, “and I’ve had to watch my family deal with my hospital stays and recovery.”
Her older sister, Mallory Ashmore, a clinical pharmacy specialist at UMMC, watched her progress with admiration.
“MacKenzie has amazed me with her determination and perseverance,” she said. “I remember one of the first times I visited her in the ICU, she was still intubated, and she wrote me a note saying, ‘Will I still be able to be a nurse?’ Fast forward two years, and she has not let her injury prevent her from doing what she loves.”
Younger sister Madison Maier will join Mallory and MacKenzie at the Medical Center when she begins medical school in August.
Even before she officially joined the team, UMMC staff made it clear they believed in her. After seeing a story about Maier’s accident and her dream of working at UMMC, team members from across the hospital reached out with encouragement.
Dr. Thy Huynh, assistant professor of dermatology, said Maier has been a welcome addition to pediatric dermatology.
“She seamlessly integrated into our close-knit dermatology team and is a true team player,” she said. “I am so grateful for her help along with our endless laughter, coffee and food breaks, and the fun while helping to make a difference and providing the best care for these sweet kids.”
That sentiment is echoed by others who work with her.
“MacKenzie has been in dermatology for just over six months now, and somehow it feels like she’s been here forever—in the best way possible,” said Rebecca Bowman, LPN. “She’s been an inspiration, an asset, and a daily dose of sass we didn’t know we needed.”
Pediatric dermatology patients are treated for skin conditions ranging from eczema to hemangioma requiring laser treatment and epidermolysis bullosa, a skin blistering condition. Maier’s personal history helps her relate to the young patients she sees every day — and to their families, colleagues said.
“She cares for her patients and treats them as individuals and not just appointments to rush through,” Bowman said. “Her pediatrics patients adore her, and parents love her. She provides exceptional care and is a joy to work with.”
The pediatric dermatology team, Maier said, “is amazing. They all go out of their way to have a good relationship with each other.”
When she’s not in clinic, Maier can often be found in the gym.
“I am continuing my physical therapy on my own,” she said. “Muscle is not going to rebuild itself. I have to put in the work, but I’m pretty determined.”