Brave Thomas O’Toole runs a charity race on Saturday – after begging to have his leg amputated like his hero Jonnie Peacock.
He will be taking part in the 5k RBC Race for Kids to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, which changed his life for the better.
It was only two years ago that the schoolboy, 12, was able to run properly for the first time after making the decision to lose his left leg.
It followed almost a decade of unsuccessful ops to correct a rare congenital knee condition which left Thomas’s limb at a 90-degree angle.
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Mum Georgina, 45, of Farnham, Surrey, said: “Thomas said, ‘Mum, just chop it off. I can carry on like this or I can be like Jonnie Peacock.’”
And after surgery in June 2019, his first words were: “I can’t believe I’ve done it, Mummy, Daddy, I feel free.”
Since then he has thrown himself into sports, thanks to his prosthetic limb – and running blade just like two-time gold medal winning paralympian Peacock, 28.
Thomas will look to beat his 38-minute race time from last year.
Georgina added: “He’s shown everyone what resilience and determination is and we couldn’t be more proud of him.”
