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She was told she might never walk again. Now she’s running Boston.
After learning to walk again at Spaulding, Caylie McMahon is running Boston alongside lifelong friend Lindsey Stagg to give back to the place that changed her life.
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Names: Caylie McMahon and Lindsey Stagg
Ages: 23 & 24
From: Stow, Massachusetts and Windham, New Hampshire
We are honored to be running the Boston Marathon as members of Spaulding Rehabilitation’s Race for Rehab team, raising funds for a cause that means the world to us.
On March 12, 2021, at just 18 years old, Caylie McMahon underwent emergency surgery to remove a tumor from her spine. She woke up unable to feel or move her legs and was told she might never walk again, let alone return to the sport she loved. After a week at Boston Children’s Hospital, she was moved to Spaulding Rehabilitation, arriving in a wheelchair and unable to complete basic daily tasks. On her first day, Caylie told her care team she would one day run out of Spaulding’s doors.
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Through intensive physical and occupational therapy, what Caylie calls “nerve bootcamp,” she defied expectations. She progressed from a wheelchair to a walker, then a cane, and ultimately walked out of Spaulding far sooner than anticipated. With lingering nerve damage but renewed strength, she returned to the University of Michigan that fall and went on to complete a five-year career with Michigan Field Hockey, even becoming a two-time Big Ten Tournament Champion.
Throughout her recovery, Caylie was supported by her childhood friend and teammate, Lindsey Stagg. Their connection to Spaulding runs deep: in 2015, their mentor and coach, Chelsey Bettencourt, recovered at Spaulding after a rare spinal stroke. This experience had inspired Caylie long before her own diagnosis.
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Now, five years after learning to walk again, Caylie is running the Boston Marathon alongside Lindsey in honor of Spaulding and everyone who has found their strength within its walls. They are running to give back to the hospital that gave them, and so many others, a second chance.
Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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