![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kualumni.org\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/01\/Mackenzie-Hanna-Kansas.jpg\")
For treatment, doctors started Hanna on intravenous steroids to reduce the inflammation. In late December 2016, she traveled with her parents to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where she received intravenous immunoglobulin therapy and therapeutic plasma exchange. Her next stop, in January 2017, was Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska, where the clouds at last appeared to lift. \u201cHer speech became better; she could express her thoughts better,\u201d remembers Hanna\u2019s father, William, c\u201986. \u201cHer response time when answering questions would be faster. You could hear a natural inflection in her voice\u2014like her normal voice\u2014as opposed to monotone. And she was developing better use of her right hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hanna returned home in March 2017 and started outpatient therapy\u2014speech, physical and occupational\u2014at Ability KC in Kansas City. She attended five days a week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and continued the regimen into summer. Incredibly, she was able to resume her studies at Baylor in August 2017. Hanna graduated with her bachelor\u2019s degree in social work on her original four-year timeline, her calling now clear to her: She would pair social work with a role in a medical setting like those she had experienced during her treatment and recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of her master\u2019s program in the KU School of Social Welfare, Hanna\u2014a lifelong Jayhawk fan from a KU family\u2014did her practicum at Children\u2019s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. To land a job in a hospital post-graduation, however, Hanna figured she may first need more experience. She broadened her job search, but held on to the goal of medical social work, applying for a case manager position with The University of Kansas Health System. She landed an interview, then the job offer, but the greatest gratification was yet to come. \u201cI didn\u2019t know exactly what part of the hospital I would be in. I was open to truly any area,\u201d Hanna says. \u201cOn my official first day, they said, \u2018You\u2019re going to be on neuro general and neuro epilepsy.\u2019 I was blown away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hanna helps patients with their next steps, such as coordinating rehab and making sure they have a safe place to recover after leaving the hospital. Reflecting on her own journey, she advises anyone who faces a long road back from an injury or illness to look at \u201cprogress\u201d as a collection of small steps: \u201cFocus on what is in front of you for that day. Often, a lot of my anxiety came from looking at the big picture, and I had to just focus on the little wins\u2014like, \u2018Hey, I got myself dressed today\u2019\u2014instead of looking at how far I needed to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though she doesn\u2019t typically share her story with patients, her awareness of how far she has come fosters genuine connections, a gentle rapport. \u201cI think it makes me have a better heart for what patients are going through and able to relate to them on a different level,\u201d Hanna says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She hasn\u2019t regained use of her right hand, but views this new normal as a reminder of her faith, her strength and the gift of health. \u201cThey don\u2019t think it\u2019ll come back,\u201d Hanna says of doctors\u2019 assessment of her hand function, \u201cbut that\u2019s OK with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Megan Hirt, c\u201908, j\u201908, is managing editor of Crimson & Blue.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n After her own battle with a brain disease, KU alumna Mackenzie Hanna now helps neurological patients navigate their next steps.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":1202,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,13],"tags":[83],"class_list":["post-1205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-jayhawks","tag-school-of-social-welfare"],"yoast_head":"\nPhoto courtesy of The University of Kansas Health System<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"