Battling all her life with a painful and deformed foot, she now says having her leg cut off was the best decision she ever made.
Because above all for Mariah – and it might seem an unusual priority – it means she can now wear the glamorous high heels she’d dreamed of wearing all her life.
In fact, she owns 10 beautiful pairs that fit her prosthesis.
“When I was told I’d never be able to wear high heels and I should give up my dream career in fashion I was devastated,” says Mariah, 20.
“But when the specialist saw the look on my face, she said there was another option – to have my leg amputated. Mum was horrified and I just laughed.
“Afterwards I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. If it was the only way I’d ever wear heels like my friends, then – as extreme as it sounded – I had to give it some serious thought.”
Mariah, who grew up in Long Island, US, with mum Patricia, 40, accountant dad Emilio, 42, sisters Isabella, 10, and Fiona, 12, and brother Mason, 18, was born with a club foot – a deformity meaning one foot was twisted and underdeveloped.
