A five-year-old boy whose legs were amputated has raised more than $400,000 for the hospital that saved his life. Tony Hadjela has new prosthetic limbs.
By the end of June, he plans to walk short distances every day with the help of crutches, for a total of 10 kilometers. Tony says he wanted to raise £500 (just over $630) for charity. The boy was inspired by the example of war veteran Tom Moore, who raised over £30 million for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) on his 100th birthday by walking around his garden.
The boy collects money for the children’s hospital “Evelina” in London. The flow of donations from various people, including Chelsea football player Frank Lampard, turned out to be so powerful that it noticeably exceeded the boldest expectations. Tony lives in the village of Kings Hill in Kent, southeast of London.
He had both legs amputated after being severely beaten by his biological parents. Tony was very small when he came to the hospital. He was fitted with prosthetic limbs last year. Since then, Tony has not been able to get enough of life, according to his new parents.
“When Tony saw Tom Moore stubbornly moving around his yard on crutches, he said, ‘I can do that too,'” recalls Tony’s foster mother, Paola Hadjell. “Then we decided to raise money for the Evelina Hospital, whose doctors saved his life,” she adds.