From Preemie to High School Actor, Claire McDonald Beat The Odds

This story was reported and written by Kathleen F. Miller.

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When you watch 15-year-old Claire McDonald perform in a school musical, you are struck by her beautiful voice, captivating smile and grace. You might never guess that the teen from Sammamish, WA, had to battle for her life at birth and was left with several great challenges to overcome.

Her mom, Cindy McDonald, recalls Claire’s birth in 1997. “Claire, was born at 24 weeks gestation (16 weeks early) and weighed 1 pound, 6 ounces. Her chances for surviving birth were 30 percent and the odds of her leading a normal life were 30 percent. She was in the hospital for 3½ months and during that time she was on a ventilator for 2½ months. She is now a freshman at Eastlake High School. She’s involved in the choir, drama and her church youth group. She is normal in every way. She defied all of the odds.”

Q. What is the biggest challenge she has taken on?
A. Cindy McDonald says: “Claire has learning disabilities because of her premature birth. School has been a challenge since she began kindergarten. It takes her longer to complete projects, learn new things and keep up in school. She has fine motor skills issues that make handwriting difficult. She had difficulty reading but began listening to audio books while reading along, which tremendously improved her reading skills.

“Claire walked on her toes since she began walking. She went through lots of physical therapy as well as wearing night splints for awhile to try and stretch her tendons in her ankle. When she was 13 she had foot surgery to lengthen her plantar fascia, which would allow her to walk flat-footed. She wore casts for six weeks and did physical therapy for another eight weeks to recover from the surgery. She now walks just like everyone else.

“Claire plans to go to college when she graduates from high school. She would like to pursue a career as a voice-over actor.”

Q. What inspired her to take on this challenge, or how do you plan to achieve this goal?
A. “Claire has reached out to people who do what she wants to do later in life. She has asked lots of questions and received a lot of valuable advice and steps to work on now. These relationships have really boosted her confidence.”

Q. Did she succeed?
A. “Yes. Claire is tenacious and persistent. She doesn’t give up. This attitude helps her overcome her learning challenges. When she was younger, she had gross motor skills delays—crawled and walked later than average. Couldn’t ride a trike when most kids did. She learned to ride a trike. When she was in kindergarten she couldn’t skip and wanted to so badly. She practiced constantly and did learn to skip! We remind her of this when she gets discouraged.

“She is also kind and compassionate, which are qualities that open doors and cause adults and others to want to help and support her. Throughout her school experience she has had several teachers who have been very supportive and have helped her reach her education goals.”