An inspirational young woman who had her right leg and pelvis amputated after being run over by a tractor will ‘hop’ to the top of Whitby’s famous 199 steps to raise money for people with life-changing injuries.
Lucie Maguire feared she would die when she was hit by a tractor and dragged along the road under its 10-tonne trailer in North Yorkshire on 27 January 2021, aged just 19. Her injuries, compared to those suffered by bomb-blast victims in wars, included full amputation of her right leg and pelvis, broken back and internal damage to key organs including her bladder.
Lucie, of Kirkby Malzeard, near Ripon, spent 518 days in hospital, mostly on the major trauma ward at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI), where specialist teams helped rebuild Lucie’s body – giving her the strength to sit up and use a power-assisted wheelchair. For the past three years she’s continued to recover, with more surgery and specialist rehabilitation.
On Tuesday (27 January) Lucie will mark the fifth anniversary of her accident by taking on her toughest challenge to raise money for Day One Trauma Support – a charity that has been by her and her family’s side throughout.
Lucie, now 24, will climb the famous Whitby’s 199 Steps on one leg in a challenge she has affectionately named ‘From trauma to triumph: Lucie’s hop to the top’. This will be the first time Lucie has travelled a significant distance without the use of her wheelchair since her accident.
As Lucie, originally from Loftus, takes on the 50ft iconic Grade 1 listed steps from the Old Town to St. Mary’s Churchyard, she will be cheered on by family, friends and professionals who have been part of her recovery journey. This includes her physio Dr Katherine Taylor who has worked with her over the past two years to get her from standing with supports, to stepping with a frame, using elbow crutches and now ascending and descending full staircases.
To help prepare, Lucie has been training and documenting her journey on TikTok – racking up thousands of followers and video views from people willing her to succeed.
Day One Trauma Support helps people affected by serious and life-changing injuries through its national online and phoneline service, and bedside support in seven Major Trauma Centres, including in Leeds where Lucie was treated.
The charity, which has a growing community of peer support volunteers, provides practical, emotional and financial support to major trauma survivors, including people injured in road crashes, falls from height, stabbings and work and sporting accidents.
To support Lucie visit www.justgiving.com/page/lucie-maguire-1
Lucie Maguire, of Kirkby Malzeard, North Yorkshire, said:
Raising funds and awareness for Day One Trauma Support is my priority, but I’m also doing this for me. I want to prove to myself that I have come a long way. I never thought I’d be in a position where I could take something like this on. But I’m still here, I’m still fighting and I’m changing the narrative so the 27th January becomes the date I climbed 199 steps rather than an awful day I nearly died.
I do feel like Day One saved my life, they were amazing. They were one of my constants, providing that emotional support that the busy NHS staff just don’t have the time to give. My recovery journey continues and I’ve been back in hospital with more surgeries, but the support from Day One has continued to be there. I believe passionately that everyone should get the same support I did, wherever they are in the country.
Kirsty Christmas, Head of Public Fundraising at Day One Trauma Support, said:
We’re incredibly proud of Lucie and her continual recovery is testament to her strength and determination. We’re all rooting for Lucis as she takes on this enormous challenge for Day One, and hope people feel inspired to donate so more people get the help they need following serious and life-changing injury.
Dr Katherine Taylor, doctor of physical therapy, said:
Not only does Lucie have half the strength and power of someone with two legs, but her balance is thrown off, so she’s reliant on her upper body to assist whilst her leg is working twice as hard and doing every single step up.
Lucie is utterly inspiring. I’m blessed to have had the chance to be her physio this past couple of years. She’s been through a lot of medical challenges, but continues to set herself new goals and, as with this challenge, uses her efforts to assist others.
James Tomlinson, director of personal injury at Bond Turner, said:
Lucie’s courage, determination and positivity in the face of truly devastating injuries has been extraordinary to witness. Having supported her and her family after the accident, I’ve seen first-hand the physical and emotional challenges she has overcome, and the strength it has taken to rebuild her life.
This challenge is a powerful example of Lucie refusing to be defined by what happened to her and instead using her experience to help others facing life-changing serious injury. We’re incredibly proud of her and fully behind her efforts to raise awareness and funds for Day One Trauma Support, whose work makes a real difference to people when they need it most.
