Maximus Gym is back one last time to make TOUGH MUDDER HISTORY with the biggest team ever - 250 PEOPLE! On Sunday 22nd September, the team of 250 will be taking on the 15km, 30 obstacle course and we have 15 Mini Mudders taking on the 1mile course - all to raise money for The Johnston Twins in preparation for Matthew's surgery.

The pre-op has been done and provisionally booked in for 6th December permitting we can raise the funds. Matthew will be having his femurs broken and rotated with metal rods & pins through both, in casts, a tendon released in his right foot, daily physio, and back to being wheelchair bound very very temporarily. This is huge huge news for us and wasn’t expected until much later in 2025 - a little bit scary, but know he’s going to be amazing and live an incredible life as a result.

Life with cerebral palsy, dystonia and ASD makes life a little different but The Johnston Twins - Matthew and Lucy, will never fail to spread sunshine to everyone they meet. After 9 months of physio funded for by the Maximus 2023 fundraiser, Matthew is now strong enough for his next surgery.

They say you can't put a price on a child's quality of life, but they do - and it's steep! The NHS won’t fund their requirements because it’s not guaranteed to work, so we fundraised for them to have their SDR operations and there is truly no stopping them now. Unfortunately even after the surgeries, the twins require intense therapy including physio, speech, occupational and hydro to make it all worth while.

Putting 100% into everything they are asked to do has become the norm for Matthew and Lucy - but to make this all worthwhile, this has to be sustained at a cost of £50k per year. Our family appreciate every ounce of effort, penny, and love we have been supported with over the past 4 years. It doesn’t go unnoticed and the twins would not be anywhere near where they are today without the incredible support network we are surrounded by.

Matthew is hilarious and has really come into his own following his SDR surgery in 2020, gaining a little bit more of the freedom he deserves. It’s hard to imagine a 6 year old having to do weight training just to be able to enjoy the freedom of walking. Despite being told Matthew would be wheelchair bound for life, he is now taking independent steps, is confident walking with his frame, and now only needs his wheelchair when his legs get a little tired.

Lucy had her SDR surgery in 2022 and despite doctors saying she would never be able to speak, sit up on her own, or control her own body - she is now the chattiest person, is on the road to being able to walk with her frame, and is getting more and more independent as days go by. Although she is in a lot less pain, her physio regime is tough - but she always does it with the biggest smile on her face. Lucy is the happiest child around, her laugh is infectious, and she makes everyone she meets smile. We just want to give her an opportunity to live her life to the absolute fullest and make that smile a little bit bigger!