Outdoor Life With Tess Maune: Green Country Woman Born With Special Needs Pursues Life Of Adventure

A Green Country woman born with special needs is proving nothing can stand in the way of doing something you love. For 27-year-old Kenzi Burnside, who was born with cerebral palsy, that's being active in the outdoors.

“Kenzi loves life. Everything about it. She loves to fish,” said Kenzi’s dad Mike.

The pond behind Kenzi Burnside's house is one of her favorite places. She'll spend hours out here with her mom and dad catching fish and talking trash.

“I started dishing it out to Kenzi and Kenzi picked up on it and she started dishing it right back. And we have a lot of fun doing that,” Mike said.

Kenzi is an Oologah High School Graduate born with a great sense of humor and the will to overcome.

“We found out Kenzi had cerebral palsy around 9 months old,” said Mike. “She's confined to a wheelchair, multiple surgeries, had her hips worked over a few times and has rods in her back from her tailbone to her neck.”

And even with all of that, her dad says life with Kenzi has never been about what she can't do, but what she can.

“It was one of those things we thought we can either ‘woe is me, pity, live in it’ or we can make Kenzi's best life possible. So, we try to do anything, everything we can to make sure she lives the fullest life possible,” her dad said.

It started with fishing when she was about 3 years old and grew from there… from horseback riding to snow skiing, kayaking and even completing a few marathons, there's not much Kenzi won't try.

“She's got an adventurous spirit; she just wants to do it all,” Mike said.

And in the outdoors, she is. She's hunted all over the country thanks to many foundations dedicated to serving those with special needs. She’s harvested deer, turkey, elk, antelope, and sheep using special technology.

“She experiences buck fever, just like the rest of us and even to a bigger extent,” said her dad.

But she never lets it get the best of her. Using what’s called a vacuum actuator Mike aims and Kenzi watches everything in the scope through an iPad, then once everything's set Kenzi triggers the weapon herself through a sucking tube.

“It's so gratifying and exciting to see how excited she gets and then the satisfaction of pulling it off,” said Mike.

That satisfaction stretches from the field to the fork. Kenzi says her goal for every hunt is to fill the freezer. And she not only puts meat on her family's table, but she also donates to several local food pantries.

Her dad says that gives her a sense of self-worth she only can find through the outdoors.

“It's something she can accomplish on her own,” Mike said. “In all reality, she's never been able to physically provide for people. Hunting and fishing is a way for her to give back to the family, friends, and family in the community.”

Mike makes sure she's inspiring others by sharing all their adventures on social media.

“God provided us many platforms to touch people's lives,” he said. “My main goal is that I want to share her story so that it may help others that don't know these things are even possible.”

Kenzi is changing the face of hunting and fishing in the process... proving the outdoors are for everybody.

“For somebody with disabilities, the trophy is the opportunity. Getting the chance to even go is the reward for them,” Mike said.