Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WALKING27 MIRACLE
3 weeks after he took his first steps, double amputee Tony, five, started a 10K challenge which raised £1m for the hospital that saved him
in Kings Hill, Kent. Paula, who fostered Tony with husband Mark, 55, when he was four months old and adopted him a year later, said: “He had only started walking on crutches three weeks before and when we began I was really worried that it was going to be a struggle.
“At first he could barely take a couple of steps without having to stop and sit down. The stretch was taking us 58 minutes a time.
“But now the quickest we have done it is 12 minutes. This has made him so much stronger.”
The cash Tony raised will go to Evelina London Children’s Hospital as a thank you for the way it helped him – and he is now desperate to meet Captain Tom, 100. “It would mean the world to Tony to meet Captain Tom,” said Paula, who explained he has a special rapport with older people.
“I think they would hit it off like anything.” Tony got messages of support from a host of big names.
They included the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, top TV presenters Ant and Dec and Chelsea’s Spanish skipper Cesar Azpilicueta.
And he was awestruck when he got to chat to British Paralympic long-jumper Stefanie Reid, 35, who has a prosthetic leg. Mother-of-eight Paula said: “I think it shows him that you can achieve anything.
“When we had the chat with Stef, he wanted to show her his legs, then she held hers up. It was great for him to see what you can achieve and he was very impressed by how far she could jump!”
Paula believes Tony has proved he has what it takes to do anything he sets his mind to – and can see him aiming for his own Paralympic glory.
She said: “He’s only young but with his determination, I wouldn’t be surprised if he followed in their footsteps in the Paralympics.
“He likes to win and he’s very competitive.”