Karlee Rawnsley has had a harder start to life than most.
Along with her younger sister, she was placed in the care of their paternal grandmother, Jan, when Karlee was nine because her dad was struggling to look after the pair on his own.
“It came down to a choice of someone in the family taking them, or them going into foster care, so I took an early retirement from work and took them on,” Jan said.
One of the first things Jan did as primary carer was to take the girls for a paediatric assessment, where it was discovered that both had been born with foetal alcohol syndrome. For Karlee, the diagnosis meant she was about 18 months behind her peers developmentally.
But rather than use the diagnosis as an excuse, Karlee used it as an incentive.
Now 17, the year 12 Tarneit Secondary College student recently received a Mayoral Youth Award for showing great adversity in spite of her challenging beginnings. She hopes to become a lawyer for the defence force.
“Doctors said I wouldn’t make it to VCE, but I’ve got classes where I’m an A student across the board,” Karlee said.
Jan added: “Watching her grow into the wonderful young woman that she’s becoming has been an absolute joy and pleasure.
“She has exceeded every expectation. It is a testament to her hard work. She wouldn’t have made it this far if she hadn’t dug her own heels in and got on with it.”
