Career
She was Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association"s Junior Female Athlete of the Year four times, and its Female Athlete of the Year twice. Melanie Hawtin was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on July 20, 1988. She has spina bifida, and began wheelchair racing when she was five years old.
Then, in April 2012, she was told that she would need surgery for hydrocephalus.
A build up of fluid in her head was putting pressure on her brain. The surgery was successful, but left her unable to bend over, and therefore participate in her sport, for a long time.
Offered a facial tissue, she said that she would need a whole box. However, wheelchair basket is played in an upright posture.
Hawtin joined the Burlington Vipers, and played for Team Ontario in the CWBL Women"s National Championships in 2013 and 2014.