Mahlia is a passionate advocate with lived experience of neurodiversity, chronic illness, mental health and disability. She is a loving single mother of two children who are neurodiverse, and is a photographer. 
 
Mahlia brings a wide breadth of insights into healthcare; from psychiatry in the diagnosis of autism and ADHD for her and her children, to cancer care, having been diagnosed with a sarcoma in her leg. As a result of her health complexities, Mahlia and her family are under the care of genetics, growing her with interest in genomics in health care and research. 
 
Mahlia wants to break down bias and discrimination, using examples from her own experiences of dismissal as a young, pansexual, Aboriginal woman. She has a history of being misdiagnosed and mistreated in the medical and education systems before she was formally diagnosed with ADHD (combination type), autism, autoimmune conditions and multiple chronic illnesses. Mahlia wants to use these experiences constructively to improve care for patients and education for doctors from a lived experience perspective. 
 
From her experiences as a carer of an NDIS participant, and trying to access the scheme herself, requiring subsidised medication, and seeking support with housing and family violence, Mahlia is motivated to improve support pathways. 
 
In 2023 Mahlia will publish her first children’s book, positioned to be a resource for kids to better understand ADHD. Mahlia is particularly interested in advocacy opportunities and using her lived experience in professional development and education to health professionals, consultancy, committee roles, research, speaking opportunities and social media collaborations.