Wollongong local Macy Daez was diagnosed with hearing loss when she was just a toddler.
It was a shocking moment for her parents, Roxxane and John Baez, yet the pair proactively hunted down a medical solution that would give her infinite possibilities: cochlear implants.
"We had tears and everything but that night we were life 'Bam, action! This is what we need to do, let's get the ball rolling," said Roxxane.
John adds: "It was a six hour operation, it was on Valentine's Day, and every Valentine's Day I say to Macy 'you got the gift of hearing'."
It's a gift that has allowed the 16-year-old to do extraordinary things, carving a unique path for herself as a hip hop dancer. "Everyone’s different and I’m different," she said.
Source: The Feed
"When I listen to music, it goes straight through to my cochlear implants.
"If I’m in a club or like a dance club, when I listen to the music I have to listen very closely and pay more attention so I fully get the beats or get the rhythm."
As a kid, she always loved hip hop music according to John who used to play it for her in the car.
"We just always played it around Macy," adds Roxxanne.
"When I listen to music, it goes straight through to my cochlear implants."
John: "When we had the music on, she used to bounce to the music… She felt that beat."
For Macy, the dream is making it big on an international level and performing as a back-up dancer for huge acts like Janet Jackson.
"It doesn’t matter if you’re competing against other people, I just want to be in the finals," she said.