Tony Hudgell, aged just 5 years old, has already been through so much more than anyone should have to experience in a lifetime. 41 days after his birth, he was admitted to hospital with an extensive range of injuries, including multiple fractures and dislocations of his bones and joints, blunt trauma, and many other injuries. Sadly, his biological parents had abused him so badly that his body was giving up on him.
It’s thought that Tony, from Kent, in the UK, had been abandoned by his parents for more than 10 days before he was found and hospitalized. By then, he had developed sepsis and toxic shock, and his organs had started to fail. His body was giving up on him, and he was on the brink of death.
It was thanks to the incredible support and resilience of the NHS workers at Tony’s Hospital that he’s still alive today. Back in 2017, it was decided that Tony’s legs needed to be amputated to stop the sepsis from spreading. He has since undergone a number of successive operations to give him the best chance of a normal life as a little boy.
Wow how far has this boy come on 3 years????
So proud of our Bear 💙 @EvelinaLondon#GoTonyGo#thisboycan #millionpoundboy #seetheability pic.twitter.com/fGNZjIwuh7— Tony Hudgell BEM (BCyA) Paula Hudgell OBE (@paula_hudgell) June 29, 2020
Like all healthcare workers around the world, the NHS staff in the UK have faced more stress than ever before in these past few months. And though little Tony was already a hero and an inspiration to many, he decided that he wanted to pay thanks to the NHS for caring for him when he was so close to death.
🐻 Is loving walking 🙏
His new trainers for walking so well last month finally arrived!!@Nike #nike #niketrainers#legend #GoTonyGo #doubleamputee @CatapultClothi1 #thisboycan #inspiredbycaptaintom #differentlyabled #JustDoIt #Hero #millionpoundboy #fundraiser @EvelinaLondon pic.twitter.com/fk7VqK1HpB
— Tony Hudgell BEM (BCyA) Paula Hudgell OBE (@paula_hudgell) July 6, 2020
So Tony and his adopted parents, Paula Hudgell and her husband, set up a fundraiser and got planning. It was decided that Tony would walk 10 kilometres on his prosthetic legs, which he had received back in February.
🐻 Is loving walking 🙏
His new trainers for walking so well last month finally arrived!!@Nike #nike #niketrainers#legend #GoTonyGo #doubleamputee @CatapultClothi1 #thisboycan #inspiredbycaptaintom #differentlyabled #JustDoIt #Hero #millionpoundboy #fundraiser @EvelinaLondon pic.twitter.com/65aKUjASr9
— Tony Hudgell BEM (BCyA) Paula Hudgell OBE (@paula_hudgell) July 6, 2020
Learning to walk hadn’t been easy for Tony, but he was determined to give the challenge a go, after being inspired by 99-year-old army veteran Sir Tom Moore walked 100 lengths of his garden in support of the NHS.
Though Tony found the challenge difficult to begin with, he told Reuters that it was “really fun”, and he felt “really good” to have completed the 10 kilometre walk successfully. He managed to complete the challenge several days ahead of schedule, much to the delight of his supporting family and friends.
👏 This is the moment Tony Hudgell completed his 10km walking challenge. 👏
On #BBCBreakfast we've followed @paula_hudgell and Tony's story from the start ⤵️
More here: https://t.co/D7OCd2OOq1 pic.twitter.com/3vwrgFgK6d— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) July 1, 2020
Speaking about the horrors that Tony had faced as a baby, Paula, his adopted mom, said:
“He’d had all his limbs broken, he’d had blood trauma to the face, sepsis, multi-organ failure, and they never expected him to survive. We took him home (…) he was broken, shutdown, a tiny, tiny underweight little boy.”
But with Paula and her husband providing a strong, unwavering support system, Tony proved to be a little fighter. He made it through his multiple operations, although he is now missing his left hip socket, is deaf in his right ear, and has motor problems with his thumbs and left wrist, as well as being an amputee.
Tony’s determination is an inspiration to us all. He initially set a target of £500 for his fundraiser, but has now surpassed £1 million. Paula shared her pride with Reuters, saying:
“[It] is incredible to think just three and half weeks ago he could barely take a few steps.”
Our own little model for Catapult Clothing @nikestore @Nike @CatapultClothi1 💙 #legend #millionpoundboy #gotonygo #millionaireboy #model #hfmsquad#differentlyabled#thisboycan#hero#childmodelsearch#doubleamputee #TonysLaw pic.twitter.com/BLO0hJQTb6
— Tony Hudgell BEM (BCyA) Paula Hudgell OBE (@paula_hudgell) July 2, 2020
NHS shared a statement of thanks to Tony and his family. As reported by CNN, Caroline Gormley, associate director of fundraising at the hospital that treated Tony, said:
“Paula has been giving us regular updates and we’ve been amazed at his progress. His strength and the generosity of everyone who has donated will make such an incredible difference. He has made everyone at Evelina London so proud.”
Mountaineering here we come!!! 🤦♂️ Maybe his next challenge?
Nothing is going to stop this boy now 💙#GoTonyGo#nolimits #nothingisgoingtostophim#seetheability#differentlyabled#legend pic.twitter.com/WT9QXckhNK
— Tony Hudgell BEM (BCyA) Paula Hudgell OBE (@paula_hudgell) July 4, 2020
Though Tony doesn’t know what his next challenge will be, he already has his future career all mapped out. He said he wants to be a police officer, adding:
“I want to handcuff bad people and robbers.”
Sounds like the perfect job for an incredible little boy. You can follow more of Tony’s journey on his Twitter page here, or donate to his Just Giving fundraiser here.
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