Midlands’ Hulton Abbey raise £1,000 to help member Tommy recover from induced coma
August 2, 2022 | by Matt Halfpenny
Members of Hulton Abbey ABC have rallied round to raise £1,000 for one of its teenage members after he was placed into an induced coma.
Tommy Cartlidge, 15, a member at the Stoke-on-Trent-based club since the age of 12, subsequently had to have brain surgery after what started as a sinus infection left him in hospital for weeks.
The club responded by dedicating their annual bash – where Potteries boxers take on those from the British Army – to helping the teenager and his family.
An auction was held which saw boxes gloves signed by Anthony Joshua sold off. While several sponsors and professional boxer Nathan Heeney – a former Hulton Abbey member – also chipped in.
Thankfully, the youngster is now making a full recovery and Dad Lee Cartlidge told the Stoke Sentinel: “Tommy started having some headaches and we didn’t think much of it as he often has headaches – one of his eyes is bad.
“Then he had a bit of sickness. It was around the same time as Covid-19, so we did some tests and they kept coming back negative.
“He wasn’t himself. I said to him ‘Tommy you need to talk to me to tell me what’s up’ – and he couldn’t talk. I rang 999 straight away.”
“While I was on the phone Tommy had a seizure. The paramedics were really quick, they came in around 15 minutes.
“They tried to wake him up and he couldn’t move his whole right-side. They did a CT scan, sent the images to the hospital in Birmingham, who said to bring him straight down.
“In Birmingham they did the operation on the brain to remove an abscess on it. He was there for about six weeks and came out of hospital before Christmas.”
Tommy himself has paid the tribute to the club, saying: “The event was good and it was good to be there – especially after not being there for a few months.
“I thought they might do something like that for us because at that club, everyone is like family. The experience hasn’t changed me as a person, but it has given me more dedication to get into doing things.”
Find out more about Hulton Abbey ABC on their Facebook page by clicking here.
