If you remember Tony's Law, a legislation which formed part of the Police, Crime, and Sentencing Act 2022 after it received royal assent, all thanks to Paula Hudgell, from Kings Hill. For those uninitiated, she adopted Tony Hudgell, a 7-year-old child, who was abused by his birth parents, so severely that she had to get his legs amputated. This is what led Paula to campaign for Tony's Law to increase the sentence for child abusers from 14 years to life. While Paula is no stranger to overcoming challenges, she faces a new challenge with her degrading health. Now 58, she is battling terminal cancer, reported the Mirror. What breaks her heart is that Tony, who is now 11, also expresses his concern about her health to his teacher. "Life has been so tough for Tony but he never, ever complains so it breaks my heart to know he has approached his teachers at schools a few times to say he's 'worried about mummy'."Discovering Stage 4 CancerShe discovered that she had stage 4 terminal cancer in June and that her cancer had metastasised to her lungs and peritoneal. She also said that she was diagnosed 14 times over 4 years, to finally get to the diagnosis. The Daily Star reports that doctors had missed her cancer 14 times. She says, "My prognosis has affected the entire family's mental health. It is hard for all of us to get our heads around, but I am trying to prepare them as much as possible. I was on the school run with Tony last week and he turned the radio up, because there was a love song playing that he liked. He told me he was going to have it at his wedding. It suddenly hit me that I won't be at his wedding. I had my tears from him but it hurts so much that I won't see him grow up or get married. I am just devastated for him and all of my children. It shouldn't have been like this."Paula was initially diagnosed with bowel cancer in February 2022. The diagnosis happened when she first consulted a GP after she experienced episodes of diarrhea and constipation. However, she was informed that she had IBS and was discharged. It took her 14 visits to the GPs, only to be dismissed with dietary advice, antacid prescriptions, or attributions to menopause. "I knew something wasn't right, so I made an appointment with the GP, but was told it was IBS. I kept going back, but my symptoms would last for three or four weeks and then settle down, so I thought maybe the GPs were right.I got used to my symptoms, but then, after four years, I was on the loo and it was almost like my late mum spoke to me and I called the GP with the grit I'd have used if one of the kids was ill and said 'I need an appointment today.' I went with a different attitude and wouldn't take no for an answer. I'd started seeing the bowel cancer adverts on TV and demanded they test a stool sample. I knew deep down something was wrong, but I was so busy being a mum I put my problems on the back burner," she said. When the results came out, her cancer markers were "through the rood" and two weeks later, she was diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer. The delay in diagnosis is what allowed the tumor to grow through the bowel wall. While she underwent a six-hour surgery, and chemotherapy, her complications arose as her bowel blocked twice. This required further surgical intervention and the change in location where the bowel had been sectioned. Amid this, her husband was also diagnosed with prostate cancer, however, his treatment was effective and was declared cancer free this year.
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