Paula Hudgell told her Instagram followers: “I won’t sugar-coat it – that first week was the most brutal thing I have ever been through.”(Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

The adoptive mum of double-amputee Tony Hudgell has survived the “most brutal” surgery of her life and vowed to “keep going” with her bowel cancer fight.

Former nurse Paula Hudgell, 58, spent 12 days in hospital after major two-part surgery and a hernia repair. She called the operation “the most brutal thing I have ever been through”. Mrs Hudgell became a tireless campaigner for tougher child cruelty sentences after adopting Tony, 11, whose legs were amputated following horrific abuse by his birth parents.

She received an OBE in 2022 for her inspirational campaigning that led to “Tony’s Law” – legislation that increased the maximum prison sentence for those who cause or allow serious harm or death to a child. The mum, from West Malling, Kent, was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in February 2022 after GPs allegedly misdiagnosed her 14 times over four years, dismissing her symptoms as IBS or menopause.

Little Tony suffered appalling injuries after being abused by his birth parents as a baby (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)

By the time she was diagnosed, the tumour had grown through the bowel wall and her consultant believed it could have been growing for up to ten years. After initially being declared cancer-free following surgery and chemotherapy, Mrs Hudgell received devastating news that the disease had returned as stage 4 cancer, spreading to her lung and peritoneal lining.

In July last year, she shared the heartbreaking update on social media, writing: “It’s been a huge shock, and it’s taken some time for us to get our heads around it… We don’t know exactly what the future holds, but I’m ready to give this the biggest fight of my life.”

Now, in an emotional Instagram post, Mrs Hudgell revealed she has undergone HIPEC and CRS surgery – a gruelling procedure involving the removal of visible tumours followed by heated chemotherapy treatment directly into the abdominal cavity – along with a hernia repair with mesh.

Paula posted an update to her Instagram account alongside a picture posing with Tony(Image: INSTAGRAM)

Posting a photo of herself in a black headscarf next to Tony, she wrote: “I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet. I’ve been deep in recovery after my HIPEC and CRS surgery, along with a hernia repair with mesh, following a peritoneal metastasis from my bowel cancer recurrence.” She continued: “I won’t sugar-coat it – that first week was the most brutal thing I have ever been through.

“The pain, the exhaustion, the fear… there were moments I didn’t know how I would get through it. Somehow, step by step, I did. I made myself get up and walk, again and again, even when every part of me wanted to stop. Those walks carried me through. Because of that, I was able to come home after 12 days and be back where I belong – with my beautiful family.

“Recovery is still very much ongoing, both physically and emotionally. My body carries big scars and over 60 staples, and my mind is still catching up with everything it’s been through. But I’m here. I’m healing. One day at a time.” But she vowed: “Either way, we keep going.”

Paula revealed she spent 12 days in hospital following a major two-part surgery and a hernia repair(Image: Philip Coburn/Daily Mirror)

Her post attracted praise and love from across the world. Former BBC Radio 2 host Zoe Ball wrote: “Huge love and strength to you wonderful brave lady P.” Fashion designer Karen Millen added a praying hands emoji.

Three months ago, Paula spoke about the devastating impact her terminal diagnosis has had on her family, including husband Mark, 61, and their children. She revealed that Tony had been telling his teacher he was “worried about Mummy”.

Mrs Hudgell told the Mirror that Tony doesn’t know she is terminally ill, saying: “To him you can go through awful things, but you always survive – he doesn’t know I’m not going to survive this and nor do I want him to. We’ll keep that from him for as long as we possibly can.”