Maci McCabe: Sharing Strength One scar at a time
"Life can change in the blink of an eye. Don't stay mad long and live life to its fullest."
From looking forward to a joyful senior year at Mater Dei, to surviving a life-altering car accident, Maci McCabe’s story is one of unimaginable hardship met with unshakable hope. After enduring over 30 broken bones, countless surgeries, and months of hospitalization, Maci emerged not only as a survivor but as a young woman with a message. Through strength, grace, and vulnerability, she’s using her voice to show others that scars don’t diminish beauty, they define resilience. Her journey is a testament to faith, determination, and the power of our community.
Tell us your story?
My name is Maci McCabe. I’m an 18-year-old 2025 graduate of Mater Dei High School. On February 11, 2025, a car accident changed my life as I knew it.
What motivateD you?
Once I woke up from my accident and could understand the reality of my situation—30 broken bones and six surgeries—my purpose was to attend my senior prom, and to walk across the stage at graduation.
What inspired me daily was the way my community supported me, and how strangers rallied for my recovery.
What’s one challenge you’ve overcome?
There were many challenges that I had to overcome during my 7 week hospitalization. My main challenge was the mental aspect, I don’t think I fully understood the extent of my injuries or the outcomes. One of the biggest obstacles was a few days after being sent to a rehab facility—I was emergently transferred back to the ER to have a cardiac procedure.
What do you hope to accomplish from this session?
One of the reasons I looked into doing this session was to display my scars as something that I didn’t want to hide, but something that I wanted other people to think were beautiful. This told a story of survival. And I wanted others who have scars to not be afraid of theirs as well.
What’s one piece of advice you would share with others?
Life can change in the blink of an eye. Don’t stay mad long, and live life to the fullest.
Who has been the biggest influence on your journey?
In the early days, my biggest influences were the people who sat at the hospital with me every day and visited—even when I wasn’t feeling the best. As I healed, my friends and boyfriend became the biggest motivators. They pushed me to get back home and back to my normal life.
What makes you unique?
My strength, determination, and resilience to overcome the injuries I faced from this tragic accident. I think people connect with me and my story because of how openly I have shared about the hardships I experienced.
What’s a fun fact about you that most people wouldn’t know?
Not a lot of people know that me, my mom, my friend, and my grandma shut down the Golden Gate Bridge in California. We were riding these go-carts and entered the bridge on the wrong side—anyways, we shut down traffic and it’s a pretty funny story!
How do you hope people feel after interacting with your story?
I hope they feel encouraged—that they too can get through the unimaginable and hardships.
What does being part of the community mean to you?
My community means everything. Without my community, I wouldn’t have had as much strength and be as determined as I was. I knew I had every single one of you rooting for me and rallying for me to get home.
What’s one thing you can’t live without?
Dr Pepper! I have at least two a day—I know soda is unhealthy.
What’s the most surprising thing on your bucket list?
To go to all the Disney Worlds!
What’s one thing you’ve done recently that brought you unexpected joy?
Getting discharged out of rehab sooner than expected and getting to surprise my friends and family.
Connect With Maci
My Facebook and the “Didrick Prayer Page” followed my story, along with KSDK. I’m also on Instagram: @maci.mccabe