September 2026
Twins Kate and Lucy Maughan share a lot of things. They both had to learn to walk again after spinal fusion surgery and will line up together for the Great North Run to raise money for Spinal Research.
Kate and Lucy from Bishop Auckland, County Durham, were diagnosed with scoliosis aged 13 when their Mum, a nurse, noticed their shoulders were different heights.
Scoliosis is a condition where the spine twists and curves to the side and the twins had plastic moulded back braces fitted in a bid to stop their curvatures from getting any worse.
“It was really hard at that secondary school age to cope with wearing the braces for 16-24 hours every day and I’m just glad we had each other,” said Kate, who is doing a law degree at Northumbria University as part of a solicitor apprenticeship.
After a year, both girls were told the braces had not worked and they would need corrective surgery to straighten their spines. This was scheduled at the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, for March 2020.
Because of Covid lockdown restrictions, they had to wait several months before having the complex, eight-hour operations on consecutive days to insert metal rods and screws on either side of their spines.
After five days in paediatric intensive care, they continued their recovery at home. “The surgery involved us lying facing down so we both had very puffy faces afterwards,” added Kate. “It felt so strange sitting up straight, then standing and having to literally learn to walk again.
“It was really hard to navigate all this just before going into Year 11 to do our GCSEs. Sitting for any length of time in the beginning and leaning forward was a real struggle.
“But we are so grateful to our school and all our family and friends who gave us so much support and we have made really good recoveries.”
After successfully completing school, Lucy went on to study pharmacology at Newcastle University where she also competed in power weightlifting.
“We have always been pretty active, especially after finding out we had scoliosis, and that’s really helped to get us through the tougher times,” said the 21-year-old.
“But it was only after watching last year’s Great North Run that we both decided we wanted to challenge ourselves and raise money for Spinal Research, to help others who can’t.”
Lucy, who is now a microbiologist for GlaxoSmithKline, added: “We have done the Darlington 10K but this will be something else and I’m hoping all that positive energy from the crowds will get us over the line.”
Every two hours someone in the UK is paralysed after a spinal cord injury. It can happen to anyone at any time, changing lives instantly.
Suzanne Redding, Head of Audience and Communications at Spinal Research, said: “A spinal cord injury can happen in so many ways – from a traumatic injury to illnesses and random accidents.
“After decades of funding the best research and researchers we are now at a point where breakthrough therapies are coming through; where the impossible is becoming possible.
“What we urgently need is the funds to get these treatments to paralysed people who need them. Which is why we are so grateful to Kate and Lucy, and all our Great North Run #TeamSpinal runners for supporting Spinal Research.”
To support Kate and Lucy go to their fundraising pages: www.justgiving.com/page/kate-maughan and www.justgiving.com/page/lucy-maughan-x
