Maxine

Maxine first sailed with the Trust in 2003 on the first ever Trust trip that sailed out of Cowes.  Aged 9, Maxine was diagnosed with a Ewings sarcoma bone cancer.  She had a tumour at the base of her spine and underwent very aggressive chemotherapy.  After an operation to remove her coccyx, Maxine couldn’t sit or stand for 3 ½ weeks, and had to learn to walk again.  After being given the all clear, Maxine was in the first group that ever sailed with the Trust, and has been involved ever since. 

Sue, Maxine’s Mum had this to say after Maxines trip:  “It has never been the cancer that has worried me but the depression that came with it.  She had lost her self confidence and had a very low self esteem, but the Ellen MacArthur Trust has changed all that.  From the minute I picked her up she hasn’t stopped smiling, she has talked non stop about her trip, she is singing and dancing and walking tall.  She was able to have fun and relax for the first time in years.  Of all the medicines she had, this one - the trip - was the one that made her better!” 

After meeting Maxine in 2003, Ellen was so inspired by her character and positive outlook that she carried a photo of Maxine on her navigation table during her record-breaking voyage around the world.  

“Maxine is one of those incredible people who imprints a huge smile in your mind.  I have met few people, let alone children, who are able to see life in such a positive way.”  Ellen MacArthur 2004.

Maxine has been part of a Trust crew in the JPMorgan Round the Island Race, and Skandia Cowes Week.  In March 2008 Maxine was the Trust’s guest of honour when Dame Ellen was presented with her Legion d’Honneur by President Sarkozy at Greenwich Maritime Museum, and was introduced to both the President and his wife Carla Bruni.  Now, aged 16, Maxine will be participating on the London leg of the Ellen MacArthur Trust Skandia Round Britain project, and the Trust is privileged to have been able to follow Maxine’s progression following treatment.