This senior’s long road to recovery ends with a joyful walk at graduation

Mackenzie Evans planned to spend her spring break in New York, spending time with her sister. Instead, she spent it in a hospital.

Last March, she and a childhood friend were making their way down Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood when a driver overcorrected a turn and jumped the sidewalk and slammed into Evans.

“The impact of being hit by a car, it was just crazy,” Evans, a junior at the time, said. “I look down and my shoes are busted, my legs or my ankles look busted. I'm like, ‘Oh my God. No way this is happening right now.’”

Emergency responders rushed her to UPMC Presbyterian hospital, where doctors confirmed that both of her ankles were broken and that she would need surgery and a metal implant. With her plans for spring break in tatters, she remembered the fear of not knowing if she’d ever walk again. Doctors reassured her that she would, but even then, doubt crept in. The recovery process ahead of her felt massive, and it would take three months before she could even stand on her own, she said.

But at that moment, lying in her hospital bed, the social work student wasn’t thinking about giving up.

“I knew there was no other option,” Evans said. “I had to finish school.”

Originally from Washington, D.C., she chose to attend Pitt because of her family connections in the area and its financial support. On campus, she served as a resident assistant and juggled research assistant work. She also mentored middle school students as a Big Brothers Big Sisters intern.

But after the accident, she said, her life shifted overnight. More plans were thrown into disarray: Evans had to cancel her summer study abroad trip with the School of Social Work and Center for African Studies due to her extensive injuries.

Relying on family and friends became a necessity, not a choice.

“I'm such a hyper-independent person, and this was the worst thing,” Evans said. “I lived on the couch. Every time I’d go to the bathroom, my family had to help me. We had to take the door off the bathroom because I couldn't get in.”

Even while dealing with the excruciating pain recovery — it took three months to stand on her own — Evans pushed herself to keep going during the downtime, she said. She kept up with her assignments from her hospital bed and later from her family’s home.

Meanwhile, Evans’ community, from family to Pitt Social Work faculty, rallied around her. Her mother flew from D.C. to see her the day of the accident. Her parents rented an accessible van. Her older sister set up a GoFundMe campaign to help with expenses and care.

Toya Jones, assistant professor and BASW program director, kept in constant contact with Evans, coordinating with each of Evans’ instructors to ensure she received the flexibility needed to continue her studies while she recovered.

Evans turned in quality work despite her circumstances, said Jones, who thinks Evans’ experience can spread encouragement, resilience and hope to students in the School of Social Work and beyond.

“I think the message she sends is: This is a moment and it’s a season, and it will get better if you don't give up and just keep pressing through the struggle. However that looks, you just never stop,” Jones said. “(Mackenzie) didn't give up on herself. She didn't give up on the process. She kept believing that the day would be better.”

On the first day of her senior year and the first day of class, Evans walked up to Jones’ desk. At first, Jone didn’t recognize her; it was their first time meeting in person. Once realization set in, the professor screamed in disbelief and gave Evans a hug.

This moment marked the first time Jones, also the Bachelor of Arts in Social Work program director, had seen her in person as they primarily communicated remotely, Jones said.

“She just stood in front of my desk in class, and I looked at her like, ‘Hello, can I help you?’ And then, I'm not a very emotional person, but I had tears fill  my eyes,” Jones said.

Evans will walk at Pitt’s spring commencement with a 3.8 GPA, defying uncertainty and her own worst fears with every step. And in the fall, she’ll return to Pitt to pursue her Master of Social Work. She credits her friends and family, her therapist, and mentors like Jeffrey Shook for helping her persevere.

“When she walks across the stage, I'm probably going to be a little crybaby. This is what she deserves,” Jones said.

Along with a new perspective on life and accessibility in the city, Evans said the experience taught her to have more compassion and patience with herself and to depend on friends and family for help. Without assistance from Jones and accommodations from professors, Evans said she wasn’t sure if she would’ve made it to graduation.

“People want to help you,” she said. “You're not a burden because you're going through something.”

Photography courtesy of Mackenzie Evans