She is one of the 5% of people affected by strokes who are under the age of 45.
Mckenzie is 13, and on Saturday morning, she began ski lessons at Cardrona Alpine Resort. She is on a skiing holiday in Wanaka with her family, supported and funded by Young Stroke Survivors New Zealand (YSSNZ) and its sponsors.
YSSNZ founder Maria Fredatovich, who also had a stroke at a young age, said fundraising for the trip had begun about November last year, and would not have been possible without support from external groups and businesses.
Funds had been raised mostly through raffle tickets and donations, including accommodation and ski passes, from businesses and a ''wide range of sponsors'' in Wanaka and Auckland, she said.
The idea behind the trip, and YSSNZ, was about the Kiwi ''can do'' attitude and getting back to normal life after a stroke.
Mckenzie said her first lesson with the Cardrona Alpine Resort adaptive snow sports programme on Saturday morning was ''fantastic''.
She had been skiing at Mt Ruapehu on school camps twice before her stroke, but was having to relearn everything when getting back on the slopes over the weekend.
Although her recovery was going well, physical exercise during the lesson wore her out, and poor circulation due to her stroke meant she got cold quickly, and had to be careful about choosing warm clothing.
Mckenzie said the most frustrating thing about her recovery was having people ask her if they could do things for her, even though she understood they were being helpful.
''People always ask to help but I want to do things for myself.''
Ms Fredatovich said re-learning skills was challenging, as stroke sufferers had to adapt to new circumstances such as learning to use the non-dominant hand due to damage on the dominant side of the body.
YSSNZ had planned to help only Mckenzie in her recovery, but Ms Fredatovich said she had now decided to create a charity and support more young people who had suffered from strokes.
Mckenzie has four ski lessons planned at Cardrona Alpine Resort while she and her family stay and ski in the Wanaka area, before flying back to Auckland on August 27.
By Leith Huffadine.
