His name is Tony and he is only 5 years old. His story is unfortunate and cruel but that is now definitely changing course. Thanks to the strength of this child, who learned to walk on prostheses, it was possible to collect £ 1 million to donate to the Lambeth Children’s Hospital (London).
He has succeeded in a feat that even many adults would have failed: to raise £ 1 million after completing a charity walk on his new prosthetic legs.
Tony Hudgell, five years old, lost both legs after being physically abused by his biological parents (currently in prison) when he was only 41 days old. The injuries led to sepsis and multiple organ failure and his condition was so severe that both limbs had to be amputated at knee height.
The brave boy, who has since been adopted by loving parents, Paula and Mark, used the lockdown period to learn to walk on his new prosthetic limbs.
Inspired by the recent efforts of Captain Tom Moore, Tony began to transform his personal challenge into charity collection.
But the child then went on to achieve (through fundraising on the Just Giving website) an incredible goal: the collection (to date) of £ 1,266,019 to be donated to the Evelina London Children’s Hospital in Lambeth, the hospital that saved his life.
To celebrate his valuable work, Tony was honored with the Point of Light award which is awarded to “exceptional individual volunteers” for making a difference within their communities.
Tom Tugendhat awarded the prize to the little one and said: “Tony Hudgell is an inspiration to everyone. He has captured the hearts of the nation and his challenge has enabled him to share just how special he is”.
Paula, Tony’s foster mom added:
“It just goes to show from the most unfortunate start in life, with the right love and support, a huge amount of determination and a positive attitude you can succeed in life and make a real difference.
Sources: BBC, Kent Online
