Derbyshire schoolboy who lost legs to sepsis among to enjoy new holiday camp for amputees

Five-year-old William Reckless from Huthwaite will be joined by his parents and youngster sister Georgia as they travel to Tenerife for ‘Amp Camp Kids’ on Tuesday, February 8.

A shy-natured but happy little boy, William defied the odds two years ago by learning to walk again after having both his lower legs amputated.

His trip has been made possible by fellow amputee and dad-of-two Ben Lovell who, spurred on by the success of Amp Camp, a wellness camp for adult amputees which he launched during the first lockdown, helped raise over £13,000 to fund something similar for children.

William’s mum Gemma Reckless told how the Tibshelf Infant School pupil will experience various new things while at camp, such as whale watching and adaptive horse riding, and is over the moon to have been chosen to go.

She said: “He is so excited, he can’t wait. There are six families going and there’s a couple that have very similar experiences to us so it’ll be nice as parents to share that.

"But, also for William to see other children that are slightly further on in their journey as we came out of hospital into lockdown so he’s not really spent much time with other children with prosthetics.

"There’s a girl going, Daisy May Demetre, she’s a double amputee and she wears blades. She cartwheels and does gymnastics so it’ll be great for William to see and for him to realise his potential, that even though he’s got blades he can still do all these kind of things.”

William had enjoyed a clean bill of health until one weekend in January 2020 when he began displaying worrying symptoms such as a high temperature, vomiting and fatigue.

What followed was a nightmare for the Reckless family, with the tot soon being rushed to intensive care where he was put into an induced coma and his devastated parents were told to prepare for the worst.

The youngster was found to be suffering from scarlet fever which had rapidly developed into a life-threatening case of sepsis.

At one point his heart stopped beating and he was resuscitated as medics battled to save his life. Further complications included a collapsed lung, a blood clot in his thigh and a brain injury resulting from lack of oxygen.

Alongside his legs, William also had parts of his fingers amputated – leaving only his right thumb intact – however he has not let this get in his way.

Gemma explained: “He’s just got on with it, he’s happy and finds a way to do everything.

"He’s determined to keep up with his little sister and do everything that she does. He got blades towards the end of last year and is desperate to run again.

"He’s not quite there yet as everytime he starts to get really good on his legs they stop fitting so you’re waiting to be re-cast… but he loves his blades.”

Six children, all who have suffered amputation through sepsis, meningitis, cancer and other serious health issues, will attend the first ever Amp Camp Kids with their families free of charge.

For more information visit www.facebook.com/ampcampkids.

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