- Lucie Maguire, 22, of Kirkby Malzeard, near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, has been recognised for her charity work after spending 518 days in hospital after being hit by a tractor.
- Oliver Stevens, 23, of Barnoldswick, Lancashire, received Inspirational Fundraiser Award after raising more than £3,000 from a walk as part of his rehabilitation from a brain injury in a car crash.
- Lily-Mae West, eight, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, received Young Fundraiser Award for her efforts in raising £2,000 from a lemonade stand after breaking 15 bones in her skull in a freak accident.
All three were treated at Leeds Major Trauma Centre and recognised by charity Day One Trauma Support.
Three young people who have overcome life-changing injuries to help others have been recognised for their inspirational work by charity Day One Trauma Support.
The Leeds-based national charity that provides people with emotional, practical and financial support following a catastrophic injury, announced the winners of its inaugural Day One Trauma Awards at a glamorous event at The Marriott Hotel in Leeds recently.
The awards were given out during the Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust’s (LTHT) annual trauma ball and awards ceremony that celebrates the life-saving work across Leeds Major Trauma Centre at Leeds General Infirmary.
It was the first time the charity gave out its own awards to ex-patients, which were presented by Day One Chief Executive Lucy Nickson, Day One founder and LGI trauma and orthopaedic surgeon Prof Peter Giannoudis, and former LTHT
Chief Executive Sir Julian Hartley. The ball also raised more than £3,500 for Day One from a raffle and auction.
Lucie Maguire, 22, of Kirkby Malzeard, near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was presented with the Day One Champion Award in recognition of her amazing awareness-raising following 518 days in hospital when she was hit by a tractor and dragged along the road under its 10-tonne trailer.
Lucie, who now uses a powered wheelchair, was 19 at the time and 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 spear-headed Day One’s Christmas Appeal by sharing her story for the first time. Her video was seen by more than 30,000 people via Youtube and Facebook, received national media coverage, and helped raise more than £45,000 for the appeal.
Oliver Stevens, 23, of Barnoldswick, Lancashire, received the Inspirational Fundraiser Award. Oliver suffered a traumatic brain injury when a car he was a passenger in crashed with a 40-tonne lorry near Skipton, North Yorkshire, in July 2022.
It left him with several fractures to his skull, paralysis down his left side, broken ribs, collar bone, and damage to his vision and hearing.
In October he took on a fundraising walk as part of his rehabilitation, inspiring an ‘army’ of people to raise money for Day One. Oliver himself raised more than £3,000 from the 30-day challenge.
And Lily-Mae West, eight, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, was named Young Fundraiser after raising £2,000 from a lemonade stand outside her grandma’s house in September. Lily-Mae, who didn’t attend the late-night awards ceremony and will be presented with it in the new year, broke 15 bones in her skull in a freak zorbing accident.
She was cared for at Leeds Children’s Hospital while her family were supported by a Day One caseworker. Lily-Mae initially wanted to raise a few hundred pounds, but more than exceeded that through an online fundraising page that received national publicity from radio, TV and press outlets.
Last month Lily-Mae and her brother Elliott returned to the children’s ward to handover books, toys and games for other injured children based at the hospital. She was previously presented with a certificate during an assembly at Outwood Primary Academy Lofthouse Gate, and praised for her efforts by Mayor of Wakefield Councillor Josie Pritchard during a special ceremony at Wakefield Town Hall.
All three recipients were supported by Day One, which provides a caseworker at Leeds Major Trauma Centre to help patients and family members with emotional support, emergency funding, legal, welfare and benefits advice and peer support from volunteers who have had similar injuries.
Lucie Maguire, 22, of Kirkby Malzeard, North Yorkshire, said:
It was a shock to receive this award and I’m so grateful to receive it and be recognised by Day One and the trauma teams in Leeds.
I wanted to give back as my way of saying thank you to everyone who helped me during a major part of my life.
It was lovely to meet so many people who were involved with my care and sharing my story has helped me on my journey of recovery.
I’m so pleased I have helped raise the profile of Day One and inspired people to donate to the Christmas Appeal. I look forward to
supporting Day One more in the future.
Oliver Stevens, 23, of Barnoldswick, Lancashire, said:
It was a lovely surprise to win this award and I was honoured to receive it in front of so many incredible people who care for people like me.
It was a very emotional evening and I had a great time.
Day One are incredible and have been so supportive to me and my family. I’m proud that through my fundraising I’ve helped provide support for other families who need help.
Katie West, mum of Lily-Mae, eight, of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said:
Lily -Mae is so happy because she has done a good thing for a charity that helped with her family. A big thank you to everyone who supported her, especially her Nanny, Grandad and brother Elliott who helped with the lemonade stand.
We are so grateful for all the love we have had from our family and friends. As a mum and dad reflecting on a very crazy year, we feel a negative has been turned into a positive. We could not be any prouder of our family.
Day one will always hold a special space in our hearts.
Lucy Nickson, CEO of Day One Trauma Support, said:
We’re delighted to recognise the amazing achievements of these incredible people who have overcome some of the most horrendous injuries to give back to help others.
Not only do their achievements give hope and inspiration to others who suffer catastrophic injuries, but their fundraising
efforts will mean the charity can support more people when they need it most.Together we can help people rebuild their lives.
Peter Giannoudis, founder of Day One Trauma Support, said:
Congratulations to Lucie, Oliver and Lily-Mae West for finding the courage and strength to overcome their severe injuries with the support of Day One. Fundraising and speaking publicly about their injuries will be so helpful to other patients to rebuild their lives.
