A five-year-old boy whose legs were amputated has raised more than £320,000 for the hospital that saved his life. Tony Hudgell with new prosthetic legs and crutches plans to walk every day in June 2020 to finish his 10km challenge. The boy told his parents that he wanted to start fundraising after he was inspired by Captain Tom Moore, who raised millions for the NHS by walking laps of his garden in Bedfordshire in the lead up to his 100th birthday. Tony's legs had to be removed after he suffered terrible abuse at the hands of his biological parents when he was just five weeks old. His parents were convicted of child cruelty in 2018 and jailed for ten years. Daisy-May Demetre, 9-Year-Old Becomes First Double Amputee Model to Walk the New York and Paris Fashion Week Runway.
Tony from West Malling in Kent has now vowed to walk to raise money for Evelina London Children's Hospital which saved him when he was just five weeks old. He was rushed to hospital when he was just 41 days old with multiple injures after he was swung by his ankles. Other than fractures he had endured toxic shock and went through sepsis. The fundraising page says he both his legs were amputated in 2017. NYFW 2019: Nine-Year-Old Double-Amputee Walks Runway for Lulu Et Gigi Couture at New York Fashion Week (View Pics & Videos)
His family was quoted as saying, "The positive side to this is he is today a bright happy, confident little boy who loves life. Over the last week, he has been learning to walk on his new legs with crutches, and he wanted to raise some pennies for the wonderful hospital the Evelina Children's Hospital who is his second home. Please help him and encourage him to walk every day of June hoping to reach his target of 10 kilometres."
Watch The Video Below:
Meanwhile, The Evelina London Children's Hospital said it has been "overwhelmed" by the support for Tony. They wrote on Twitter, "We have been overwhelmed to see the support for Tony as he takes on his own 10K to support our hospital."
Check Out The Tweet Below:
On day eight of his 30 day challenge, Tony has raised an incredible £300,000.🥳
Thank you Tony, and everyone who has supported his fundraising journey.❤️
We have been inspired by Tony’s story and amazed by the nation’s generosity. https://t.co/tCWCPYiKTD@paula_hudgell pic.twitter.com/l2fnol77Gx
— Evelina London (@EvelinaLondon) June 8, 2020
Tony even received a message from Captain Tom's daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore and grandchildren Georgia and Benji, who wished him and said they are "so proud" of him.
Watch The Video by Captain Tom's Family for Tony:
Inspired by @captaintommoore, Tony raised over £370,000 for Evelina London to say thank you for his life-saving care.
Captain Tom’s family shared this heart-warming message of support for the inspirational 5-year-old.#GoTonyGo https://t.co/tCWCPYiKTD pic.twitter.com/xprAVHJtcg
— Evelina London (@EvelinaLondon) June 9, 2020
Speaking to the BBC, Paula said, "He saw Captain Tom walking in the garden with his frame and Tony had a frame like that to start with and he said 'Oh I could do that'. Then we decided to set this challenge and raise some money for the Evelina that saved his life."
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 10, 2020 12:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).