A five-year old boy with prosthetic legs has raised more than £1m for Evelina London Children’s Hospital by walking 10km over the past month.
Tony Hudgell today completed his challenge to walk the distance during the month of June to raise funds for the hospital, which saved his life when he was a baby.
He suffered horrific abuse by his biological parents and in 2017 had to have both his legs amputated because of the injuries he had sustained.
His left hip is dislocated and missing the ball joint because of infection and he is also deaf in one ear.
Earlier this year he was given prosthetic legs and has been learning to walk on his new limbs with crutches.
After seeing the record-breaking fundraising efforts of 100-year-old Captain Tom Moore, Tony was inspired to take up his own challenge.
He had a fundraising target of £500 for the hospital, which has treated him throughout his life.
His fundraising total on the JustGiving website was at just under £1m from more than 45,000 donations at 5pm on Friday afternoon, rising to £1.2m when Gift Aid is included.
The hospital, which is part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, funds life-saving equipment and research, and provides support to make hospital less intimidating for children and parents.
Caroline Gormley, associate director of fundraising at Evelina London, said: “Tony is such an inspiration. The money raised through his sheer determination will go towards helping so many other children at Evelina London. We are so proud he is part of our family.”
Paula and Mark Hudgell adopted Tony when he was a baby.
Paula Hudgell said: “Despite having a terrible start in life, Tony is such a bright, loving and determined boy. The courage he shows every day is a constant source of inspiration.
“Evelina London is like a second home for Tony and the staff are like family. We are so happy to be able to pay back some of the gratitude we feel towards those who’ve looked out for Tony over the years.”