Asnay Machado is an ambitious Westland Senior High School student with dreams of becoming a lawyer one day. Asnay, who was born with cerebral palsy, recently enjoyed a boost in confidence thanks to a surgery at Nicklaus Children’s that has enabled him to stand up straight for the first time.

“He is happy and very optimistic now,” said Asnay’s father, who shares the same name. “It has made a big difference in his outlook.”

In November 2015, Dr. Avi Baitner, an orthopedic surgeon with Nicklaus Children’s Department of Orthopedic Surgery, performed a procedure to straighten Asnay’s legs so he’d be able to stand with good posture and for longer periods, with the goal of eventually walking.

After so many years in a wheelchair, Asnay needed extensive physical therapy to help him learn to marshal the required muscles to stand up for an extended period. Everything came together in 2016, with the help of the therapy team at Nicklaus Children’s Miami Lakes Outpatient Center, and now Asnay is able to move from his wheelchair and balance with a walker.

With continued therapy, doctors and family hope the promising young scholar, who is looking to start college in 2018, can walk with confidence.

“I have been very grateful to the team at Nicklaus Children’s,” said Asnay Machado, senior. “They have been very kind and explained everything so well. We are very happy that Asnay is enjoying greater independence.”