Our Trustees
Lauren Stahly - Chair
Lauren was born with Anorectal Malformation (ARM) and Partial Sacral Agenesis. When she was a few hours old she had a colostomy fitted at the Sick Kids in Edinburgh and she had 2 further surgeries. Lauren's PSARP surgery was laparoscopically assisted and at the time was considered to be very successful. She has went on to compete an undergraduate degree and now works for her Local Authority. ​ ​ Lauren joined Max's Trust in 2021 after writing her undergraduate dissertation on people's lived experience of ARM. She felt that she could use her own experiences to help other people to find community and support like she has through online ARM groups and in person events.
Deepti Grover - Treasurer
Deepti’s son was born with ARM (and other aspects of VACTERL) in 2017.  The first few years of his life seemed harder as they didn’t know anyone else with the condition. Deepti and her family attended the Max’s Trust conference in 2023 and finally met other families who had gone through similiar circumstances. Deepti became a Trustee to help ensure more information about Max’s Trust and similiar organisations were available to parents as soon as possible after diagnosis.
Helen Millard - Secretary
Helen is a mother of three children and a lifelong friend to Cassie, our founder and former Chair, having met many years ago at boarding school. After a flourishing career in video production, Helen has devoted her life to caring for her children as well as running her own business. She has a wealth of experience working with the community and helping local causes including spearheading a movement to improve and refurbish the local play park, working closely with the Parish Council and various bodies to design and execute the project. Having loved Max from the second he was born, Helen says it is a privilege to be part of this charity and everything that it stands for. Helen is the Secretary for Max’s Trust, as well as being Fundraising Lead.
Andy Button - Governance
Andy spent his entire working life in the NHS, the last 17 years of which were as the manager of a GP practice in Berkshire. He is therefore entirely at home dealing with paperwork and hence has the role of Governance Lead for Max’s Trust. He is a Trustee of two other charities, Oxford Orpheus and Goring Chamber Choir (through which he first met Max’s mum, Cassie) and until recently chaired the Patient Participation Group at his local surgery.
Kate Tyler - Partnerships
Kate was born in 1957 with Anorectal Malformation and several other anomalies, now recognised as part of the diagnosis of VACTERL Association. At a time when survival rates were extremely low, she credits her life to the extraordinary skill of a remarkable surgeon who performed four emergency operations during the first five days of her life. Spending much of her childhood in hospital left a lasting impression and inspired Kate to pursue a career in nursing. After training at her local hospital in Shropshire, she returned to Birmingham Children’s Hospital as a qualified nurse, where she had the unique and deeply meaningful experience of working alongside the surgeon whose skill had saved her life. In retirement, Kate volunteers with Max’s Trust and TOFS and serves as a patient representative for ERN eUROGEN. She passionately believes that knowledge empowers individuals, giving them the confidence to speak up and take an active role in their healthcare. Through her volunteering, Kate shares her lived experience of VACTERL Association, offering guidance, reassurance, and advocacy to those navigating their own journeys with this rare and complex condition. Kate enjoys spending time with family and friends, socialising, and sharing good company. She also delights in baking, gardening, and walking the Shropshire hills and Cornish coastal paths with her husband and their much-loved canine companion, Monty the Magnificent.
Kate M -
Parent & Family Liaison
Kate was born with ARM. She attended our 2023 conference where she met other adults, learned more about her condition and had great discussions with parents and medical specialists. Kate came away from that weekend wanting to contribute to ensuring everyone affected by ARM gets the support they need to live a fulfilling life.
All trustees are volunteers.
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We welcome any help from volunteers. Please get in contact with us if you think you can help. Thank you. Hello@maxtrust.org
Shaun Shepard - Trustee
Shaun was born with ARM, along with a few of the letters of VACTERL. He has recently joined us at Max's trust and hopes to use his lived experience to raise awareness of ARM.
Jon & Cassie - Founders
Jon and Cassie Finnigan are founding trustees of Max's Trust. Jon is an Environmental Consultant in the ground investigation industry and Cassie is Head of Mental Health Law Services in an NHS Trust, with nearly 30 years experience working in mental health. Jon was the Treasurer of Max’s Trust, responsible for marketing, social media, and the website; Cassie was the Chairperson. Jon and Cassie are the parents of Max Finnigan, who was the catalyst for Max's Trust being formed. Max was born with an anorectal malformation in 2017. He had a stoma formed at day 1, PSARP at 11 weeks old, and stoma closure at 8 months. He was doing well medically and was the happiest, most content little boy you could ever meet. You can read more about Max here. Tragically, in November 2018, Max died suddenly and unexpectedly from something unrelated to his anorectal malformation. Following Max's death, Jon and Cassie dedicated their energy into creating Max's Trust to support the UK anorectal malformation community - something that had not been done before. In April 2019, the first Annual ARM conference was held with money raised in Max's memory and in June 2019 Max's Trust became a registered charity. Jon, Cassie and, their daughter, Jasmine are committed to ensuring Max's memory lives on and creating a legacy that will help so many people.
